Live Not by Lies – Part 1, by Born Free

In the past few years, we have all witnessed Internet censorship, up to and including the censorship of the President of the United States. My initial reaction was, “Who cares? We don’t need the media in order to live our lives! Turn it all off. Ignore them!” Then, the stories started trickling out, mostly on alternative media platforms and via individual blogger websites. It wasn’t just the popular media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, WordPress, Reddit, etc.), the mainstream media organizations (CNN, MSNBC, FOX, ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.), major payment processors (PayPal, for one), e-mail providers (Mailchimp, for one), web hosting providers, and the major newspapers (Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, etc.), that were censoring competing or conflicting opinions and promoting “the party line”. People were actually being fired from their jobs for merely expressing their own opinions.

There was and is an uptick in violence against people who, for instance, simply have an American flag flying on their own property. We’ve all heard about the BLM and Antifa riots, which are ongoing still, occurring unimpeded in many places. Many have been arrested, but then released immediately back into the communities without any serious charges. The latest news, of course, is the fact that the China virus did, plausibly, escape a lab where gain of function research had been ongoing (and in part, funded by our own government).

And separately, but related, that Covid-19 immunity is gained by having had the virus, and therefore just as effective in protecting an individual as actually taking the covid-19 “vaccine”, that the “cure” is often more debilitating than the disease, etc. Also, recently, we learned that in fact hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin are effective in combatting Covid-19 and only conspiracy theorists, last year, believed that (/sarc). (And I won’t even mention that a Presidential election was stolen in broad daylight in the middle of a made up Pandemic, and that all Trump supporters are being blamed for a fake insurrection that the FBI – Federal Bureau of Insurrections – most likely participated in). The insanity of the past few years is mind boggling. So many lies, so little time.Continue reading“Live Not by Lies – Part 1, by Born Free”

July 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 July?

Gold started July at $1,770 an ounce, which would be the low for the month. Gold’s price action would be determined by two things in July: the strength of the 10-year Treasury note, and the strength of the dollar.
Gold grinded higher the first week of July, closing at $1,802 on the 7th. This was gold’s first close above $1,800 since mid-June. The yield on the 10-year Treasury tanked to 1.25% on July 8, from above 1.4% to start the month. Gold spiked to $1,819, which triggered a wave of profit taking. Prices settled down less than two dollars, at $1,800.

Gold gained $29 over the next five days, peaking at a $1,829.00 settlement on the 15th. Gold prices eased over the next few days, until it settled at $1,799.2 on the 26th. It spent the next three days flat at $1,799 until the 29th, when it burst $31 higher to settle at $1,835.80, the high for the month. It gave up half of that on the 30th, to end July $45 higher, at $1817.20.

Factors Affecting Gold This Month

BOND YIELDS
The 10-year Treasury note saw heavy buying through the month, never even seeing a 1.5% yield. Perhaps even more than the dollar, Treasury yields had a large effect on gold prices in July.

Low yields for the 10-year Treasury note means that yields on corporate debt have fallen as well. Not only is AAA corporate bonds paying next to nothing, even high-yield junk bonds are paying less than 5%.
All in all, the bond market doesn’t see inflation being a long term problem.This continues to confound analysts who expect inflation to remain high. Economists say that these abnormally low yields give the Fed no other option but to keep the money printer going.

DELTA COVID
The Delta strain of COVID that was discovered in India has steam rollered over Europe and North America, leading to renewed lockdowns mask mandates.
Several analysts are saying that the delta COVID outbreak has lowered economic expectations, but not as much as the original outbreak did. This is because many people have gotten the COVID vaccine. Because delta is a new strain, “breakthrough infections” are being reported among vaccinated people, but cases are mild enough that they don’t require hospitalization.

INFLATION FEARS
Supply chain disruptions are still the scapegoat for present inflation rates, but things don’t seem to be getting back to normal as quickly as hoped. Home prices and car prices are two of the obvious culprits for recent inflation spikes, but get ready for food shortages soon, as droughts and floods and extreme weather destroy crops. Some restaurants are beginning to take scallops and other seafood items off the menu, due to sharply higher prices.
But, looking at bond yields, the market seems to believe the Fed that this is all temporary.Continue reading“July 2021 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in this column, in the Odds ‘n Sods Column, and in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

I’ve been quite busy with slash hauling, all through the past week.  In addition to the limbs from the deadstanding trees that I’ve recently harvested, I’m also cleaning up deadfallen limbs and lopping off the dozens of little firs and pines that were snow-squashed in the past two winters, and now growing at or near horizontal. There is virtually no chance that these squashed volunteers will ever grow up straight and tall. And, since they are a significant wildfire “laddering” risk, it is best that they get cut and hauled out to one of our pasture burn piles, to be touched off after the fall rains begin. Typically, I burn slash in mid-October, just before the opening of deer and elk season.

My cross-fencing project was nearly stalled by the aforementioned slash hauling. I also had the distractions of some calf dehorning, and helping Lily plant a few sapling trees that we bought in 8-gallon pots. The only progress that I made on the cross fence was moving and positioning some small boulders, as resting stones for the open and closed positions of the new gates. These stones are typically about 18″ in diameter, and carefully chosen to have at least one flat side. Two or more flat sides is better, and two flat sides plus a naturally-occurring notch gets bonus points, in my book. They are too heavy to lift by hand, so I simply roll them onto a cedar slab stone boat that I built 15 years ago. I can drag this stoneboat with any of our ATVs. I also bought another 8-foot tube gate for the far end of the cross fence. I like to have a gate located once every 400 feet (or less), for the sake of efficient cattle pasture rotation and to allow vehicle access for various tasks. And, of course, we like to have plenty of gates to facilitate horseback trail riding, bicycling, hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.

There is always a list of pending projects here at the Rawles Ranch.  The list gets shorter in winter and longer in the summer.  But these activities are almost always fun, and almost invariably they are great exercise. Who needs to buy a gym membership when you get to drive T-posts, wrestle around tree stumps, dig postholes, split firewood, and lift 90-pound potted trees?  Fun, fun!  Now, over to Lily…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord, and the king’s house: and all that came into Solomon’s heart to make in the house of the Lord, and in his own house, he prosperously effected.

And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice.

If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.

For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments;

Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.

But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;

Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.

And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and unto this house?

And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.” – 2 Chronicles 7:11-22 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — July 30, 2021

Today we remember the birthday of author Reginald Bretnor. He was born Alfred Reginald Kahn on July 30, 1911, in Vladivostok. He died on July 22, 1992 in Medford, Oregon. In addition to penning many witty science fiction novels and short stories in his characteristic style, he also wrote nonfiction articles for Mel Tappan’s P.S. Letter 

—

As I’m sure most of you readers know, I sell antique guns, through Elk Creek Company — my home-based mailorder business. Per Federal law, these guns do not require an FFL, and are also exempt from paperwork under most state laws. But occasionally, I upgrade my personal gun collection, and consequently sell a few excess modern (post-1898) guns through a trusted friend who has a FFL. He has been running auctions on three particularly nice guns from my collection, on GunBroker.com. Take a look. I hope that you’ll consider bidding:

Note: These auctions are scheduled to end on the evening of Sunday, August 1st.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 95 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. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

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. An Israeli CBRN Gas Mask with Hydration Straw and two Extra 40mm NATO Filter s – Manufactured in 2020 (a $229.99 value), courtesy of McGuire Army-Navy.
  5. 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.
  6. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

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. Siege Stoves is generously donating a SIEGE® STOVE kit, including a Titanium Gen 3 Flat-Pack Stove with titanium Cross-Members and a variety of bonus items including a Large Folding Grill, a pair of Side Toasters, a Compact Fire Poker, and an extra set of stainless steel universal Cross-Members. (In all, a $200 value.)
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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!

Round 95 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.

Hands-On Healing – Part 4, by Dr. Derek King, DC

(Continued from Part 3. This concludes the article.)

For those of you who have made it this far, I would love to give you two more Bonuses: the first is considered the “bible” of energy medicine. I first read it back in 1989 and it was way ahead of its time, the book is called Vibrational Medicine by Dr. Richard Gerber, MD. It covers the science of everything…crystals, meridians, homeopathy, lasers, holograms, prayer, and quantum physics (in a non New-Agey way). It was updated in 2000 and I’m sure that a lot more could be added considering today’s technology, but it is a wonderful manual for the serious student.

Next bonus is the numerical frequency for forgiveness: 116 979 458. This is courtesy of Lloyd Mears and his Energy Balancing by Numbers info. Just memorize it! Then repeat it over to yourself quietly ten times or as needed to neutralize negative situation or memories. Again, it is free and it is beneficial. We are not worshiping anything here, just adding them to your toolbox. God is the Ultimate Physician and Healer…our bodies just need a small nudge sometimes in the right direction. But you are Not chiropractors so No adjusting bones or manipulating joints (don’t get me in trouble and don’t hurt someone else)! In Excelsius Deo.

Please email me at FreedomDoctor@protonmail.com with comments, questions and clarifications and I will be sure to jot you a short note back. This is my pleasure, my mission, and my livelihood. I relish the opportunity to reach and teach a few more willing people to focus on the good in the dark times that seem to be coming…until Trump returns, the election Fraud is revealed, GESARA Jubilee happens or the Rapture of His Church by Jesus the Christ (Yeshua ben Joseph Ha’Mashiach) of us Believers up to heaven. Until then, may God Bless your body, mind, heart, soul, and Spirit while we wait patiently.

I find comfort in the fact that although the Lib leftist elites want to take us all out, God wants to take us all up!

I understand that millions are out there suffering in pain right now! So let me address that important topic specifically today. I have been in solo private practice for over 30 years (and I am as tired of pain as y’all are) yet that is the primary reason patients come in to see me. Once they are starting to feel better, then they are ready to hear and understand the cool subjects we have covered in the previously three articles on Hands-On Healing and Mental/ Emotional Trauma-Release Techniques. “Doc, can you fix my back?“ Shoulder, ADD, migraines, etc is their primary concern, of course; however, I must explain to them that I didn’t Build you. I didn’t break you. I wasn’t there when you caused your problem…so don’t expect me to Fix you. YOU helped cause it, so You must help fix it…and it will take time to heal properly. Have you ever heard a doctor tell you that so frankly? “Truth, in Love” right?Continue reading“Hands-On Healing – Part 4, by Dr. Derek King, DC”

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 further examine the global derivatives market.

Precious Metals:

Time To Buy Gold As A Hedge Against “Extreme Financial Deleveraging” Credit Suisse Says

o  o  o

Gold gains on weaker dollar, stocks ahead of Fed meeting.

Economy & Finance:

Morgan Stanley Warns a Major Stock Market Correction Imminent.

o  o  o

Stock Bulls Look Toward $17 Trillion Burning a Hole in Pockets.

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: New Home Sales Crash In June To Lowest Since April 2020.

o  o  o

Reader L.K. sent this: PayPal Partnering With Anti-Defamation League to Share Info With Law Enforcement, Determine Who Can Use Their Services. JWR’s Comment: This does not bode well. Given the ADL’s long-standing relationship with the SPLC, I can foresee a lot of “mission creep”, as they gradually expand their definition of “extremism.”

Inflation Watch:

USPS will move forward with higher prices despite lawmaker concerns: letter

o  o  o

Gas prices soar as demand climbs following easing of pandemic restrictions.

o  o  o

David Einhorn Lays Out The Blindingly Simple Reason Why Soaring Inflation Can Not Be Transitory.

o  o  o

Temporary or not, inflation is rattling restaurants and broader economy.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I am proud to have been born in Iowa. Through the eyes of a ten-year-old boy, it was a place of adventure and daily discoveries – the wonder of the growing crops, the excitements of the harvest, the journeys to the woods for nuts and hunting, the joys of snowy winters, the comfort of the family fireside, of good food and tender care.” – Herbert Hoover

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — July 29, 2021

July 29, 1805 was the birthday of Alexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville. He died 16 April 1859. He is best known for his lengthy treatise: Democracy In America.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 95 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. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

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. An Israeli CBRN Gas Mask with Hydration Straw and two Extra 40mm NATO Filter s – Manufactured in 2020 (a $229.99 value), courtesy of McGuire Army-Navy.
  5. 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.
  6. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

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. Siege Stoves is generously donating a SIEGE® STOVE kit, including a Titanium Gen 3 Flat-Pack Stove with titanium Cross-Members and a variety of bonus items including a Large Folding Grill, a pair of Side Toasters, a Compact Fire Poker, and an extra set of stainless steel universal Cross-Members. (In all, a $200 value.)
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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!

Round 95 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.

Hands-On Healing – Part 3, by Dr. Derek King, DC

(Continued from Part 2.)

So, back to memories…if something happened a second ago, it’s a memory. Gone, over. And it can be good, bad or neutral; yet it was recorded into the mind and it will be stored permanently on your brain’s hard drive tonight when you sleep (healing takes place mostly at night while you are sleeping). So if it was a bad experience, you will want to “neutralize it” and make peace with what happened and how you reacted before you sleep that night. Have someone cup your head while you go through the following “Forgiveness Steps” quietly to yourself before you retire. If you’re amped up, it will be easy to forget…then it gets recorded (with adrenaline and negative emotions) into your RAM (like hitting the SAVE button on your PC) and then it will take professional care and more advanced work to make peace and forgive that memory.

Yes, my patients have called what I do, “Forgiving my memories”. That is an accurate description of what I am teaching you here. Does that make sense? Deal with it today and it goes into your memory detached; or go to bed angry or upset and wake up with it running the show in Fight or Fight stress-mode (and adding on top of previously recorded similar stress scenarios in a common folder)! That is what Scripture means by not letting the sun go down on your wrath (or worry, or disappointment, or doubt).

My best mentor Dr. M.T. Morter, Jr., BS, DC came up with the following Six Steps of Forgiveness and now that he has passed away, I would love to share them with the world, beginning with you today dear reader:

1. Forgive the other person that you think caused the harm- You can do it silently to yourself (in a “religious sense” or a non-religious way). Just do it sincerely and mean it. “I forgive him/ her/ them for whatever they did to me. I choose to cancel the debt and release them, even if they didn’t apologize”. You don’t have to like it, condone it, erase it or understand it! It is over, so deal with it and then surrender it. No revenge or trying to get even (it’s not worth it).

2. Ask for forgiveness from them if you helped cause the trauma or hurt in any way. This would include asking God Almighty for His forgiveness for any part you played in the scenario. “Please forgive me. I am sorry for any harm or bad I have caused.”

3. Forgive yourself for any harm you did to your body, soul or Spirit because of your negative reactions or emotional words spoken in strife. “Body, I forgive myself for harming you in any way by my bad choices or actions.” Then “go forth and sin no more.”

4. Learn the lesson of the moment. Everything happens for a reason, even if it is terrible at the time; therefore, when you actually learn from the past, you can become stronger, smarter, wiser and you may/ will not have to go through a similar experience again. “Life is a school where you get the tests first and the lessons afterwards.”

5. See the good coming out of every bad situation. Yes, even car accidents, deaths and losses. It is Over, so what Good can you focus on? I did not say you had to like it or approve. I am not saying you ignore the pain or hurt or abuse or trauma…I’m saying be thankful you survived. Be thankful it’s over with or be grateful it wasn’t worse. Learn to react better for next time and maybe God will reward you by not allowing a next time. And finally, if you didn’t like how someone treated you…don’t you ever treat someone else like that. That can be the good that comes out of a horrible catastrophe is you learn empathy and compassion. Repent means to turn a 180*

6. Wish the other person/ people well. Do not harbor ill-will and seek revenge (again, it’s not worth it). That would make ACID in your gut and endanger your well-being. “Vengeance is mine saying the LORD.” So, turn the other cheek and go the extra mile by “taking the high road and praying for your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you and spitefully abuse you” and you will become a better person for it! And, in the end (heaven) that is all that really matters anyway (“Well done good and faithful servant.”)

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “I’m glad God didn’t say we had to like our enemies.”

And another said, “Not forgiving sometimes is like you drinking poison and hoping that they die from it.”Continue reading“Hands-On Healing – Part 3, by Dr. Derek King, DC”

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 latest on the drought that is affecting most of the western states.

A Serious Utah Dust Storm

Dust storm in Utah causes series of crashes on I-15, at least seven dead.

Western Drought Sets 122-Year Record

Reader C.B. sent this item from Fox News: Expanding Western drought sets 122-year record: scientists. The article’s opening paragraphs:

“A devasting drought has spread virtually throughout the entire western U.S., setting a 122-year record, scientists say.

Almost 90 percent of the the region is now considered to be in drought.

The U.S. Drought Monitor – a partnership between the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – reports that more than 60 million Americans are currently affected by drought conditions.

A multi-agency webinar discussing the status of the drought and response efforts in the region was held Tuesday, hosted by the National Integrated Drought Information System.

The webinar featured remarks from USDA and Interior Department officials, and an update from NOAA Administrator Richard Spinrad, who said the lingering drought costs the U.S. $63 billion annually, in addition to multibillion-dollar losses from wildfires.”

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — July 28, 2021

On July 28, 1932, U.S. Army troops, using tanks, cavalry, and tear gas demolished and burned the shanty town set up near the U.S. Capitol by unemployed Bonus Army protestors.

July 28th is also the anniversary of the outbreak of World War I, in 1914. This war irreparably changed geopolitics. Officially, the war lasted until November 11, 1918, as did our involvement. But American troops were still running around shooting Russians until 1920.

—

Update: The Elk Creek Company shopping cart system is now back in operation. We are again ready to take orders, with payments either in pre-1965 silver coinage or in FRNs via check/USPS Postal Money Order. Thank you for your patience, while we got the glitches fixed. Check out our new silver pricing. Some prices are as low as $16.50 face value in silver coin.  Please note that I recently added six pre-1899 Mauser rifles to the catalog, and I’ll be adding seven other recent acquisitions, in the next week. Take a look!

Also note that with the recent drop in the spot silver market, we’ve temporarily reduced our silver coin-to-FRN multiplier to just 20.5 times face value! This is a great opportunity for those of you who want to pay by check or money order.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 95 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. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

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. An Israeli CBRN Gas Mask with Hydration Straw and two Extra 40mm NATO Filter s – Manufactured in 2020 (a $229.99 value), courtesy of McGuire Army-Navy.
  5. 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.
  6. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

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. Siege Stoves is generously donating a SIEGE® STOVE kit, including a Titanium Gen 3 Flat-Pack Stove with titanium Cross-Members and a variety of bonus items including a Large Folding Grill, a pair of Side Toasters, a Compact Fire Poker, and an extra set of stainless steel universal Cross-Members. (In all, a $200 value.)
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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!

Round 95 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.

 

Hands-On Healing – Part 2, by Dr. Derek King, DC

(Continued from Part 1.)

Alright, you’ve made it this far so I am going to give you your first simple gold nugget to help facilitate healing in another human being: Right hand on Top, Left hand Underneath.

“What does that mean, Doc?”

I am so glad you asked. The human hands have polarity. They are not neutral. They can be used as magnets to influence the energy field of others. The energetic aura surrounds our being and extends beyond our physical bodies. Trust me, there have been lots of scientific research studies to document, film, and prove this (it’s not some New Age woo-woo) and you actually experience it every day whether you are aware of it or not. When somebody gets too close to you  — within 2 feet, (not the “social distancing” 6 feet nonsense) — you can feel it. They have “invaded your space” if you don’t know them well or you didn’t invite them closer…you can just tell that they are encroaching upon your personal zone. It feels uncomfortable or even a little creepy when it happens nose to nose, or even when they sneak up from behind and you sense their presence; and it may even zap your energy field a bit (especially if they are a negative person) and you feel the immediate need to move away. An extra foot or two may be all it takes to regain your composure and feel comfortable again. That is your personal energy field reacting to theirs and communicating with your spirit to find your safe-space and protect your individualism. Trust it. That awareness processes information at two billion signals per second to your subconscious nervous system and even down to your gut and soul for survival! Never, never ignore your gut hunches and ignore its signals of safety warnings and goose-bumps that are trying to warn you to get to safe distance.Continue reading“Hands-On Healing – Part 2, by Dr. Derek King, DC”

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.

Reader John L offered this:

“Thanks for running the interesting article on cordage. A few additions:

Knots.  Hard to use cordage effectively without them.  Bowline, sheet bend, clove hitch, and prusik will cover 98% of needs.  Learn these.
Consider traditional laid (“twisted”) ropes instead of braided.  Laid cordage can be spliced with appproximately 95% retention of strength, not only to make short pieces into long ones, but the spliced ropes can still go through a block (over a pulley).  Also a spliced eye is way easier to use (once you make it) than a bowline.
Traditional 3-lay rope of any size can be made at home from anything fibrous, especially old bale twines which are discarded by the ton in many places.  Four people working together can do it easily with no equipment, or a modestly handy person can build a ropewalk in a couple of hours.  One person can spin two-ply cordage alone, but it can’t be spliced.”

o  o  o

Secessionist, Border Realignment Movements Gaining Traction in US.

o  o  o

Batteau penned this note:

“Even though we now live in an area near the edge of “town,” I still put out my game cameras.

It’s like opening presents on Christmas Morning. Lots of fun. All kinds of animals and occasional people.

Not sure if we’ll ever get back to the country. We’re hoping.
More in my wife’s family with Covid, but so far no additional deaths.
I have cataract surgery scheduled in about 2 1/2 weeks. Right eye first… then we’ll see about the left. It came on suddenly last year but didn’t want to go out among the Covid spread. I also had a few weeks with vertigo. Doctor wants to correct eyes first, thinks that may be a factor. I haven’t been driving since January.
Have fun with your trail cameras.  God Bless All. Semper Fi.”

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”