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 focus on a couple of news stories from Canada.

China’s Social Credit Scoring in Canada

First up is this, over at The Sunday Guardian: China’s social credit program creeps into Canada. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)

Canadian Court Orders Church Disruption

Canadian Court Empowers Police to ‘Do Anything Necessary’ to Disrupt Church, Find Pastor. Here is a quote:

“On April 3, Pawlowski demanded government officials leave the sanctuary of his church “immediately” unless they “come back with a warrant.” He condemned them as “Nazis” and “Gestapo.”

They came back this past Sunday with a warrant, but he denied them entry again, telling health officials they needed to contact his lawyer first.

In a video posted to his YouTube channel, he argued government officials and police “could come any day of the week” but choose to interrupt worship services “because they have a purpose, they have an agenda.”

“If you’re not seeing it, then you’re plain either stupid, blind, and deaf,” Pawlowski said. “Either you’re going to keep pushing as hard as you can, or you’ll be swallowed by those people. They’re going to keep coming, keep taking your rights, one after another, destroying you by thousands of cuts, one cut at a time.””

Census Result: Texas and Florida to Gain House Seats

Jim L. sent this article that relates to the 2020 U.S. Census: Texas and Florida to get new House seats, boosting GOP 2022 chances for majority.  Here is a quote:

“Going into the 2022 cycle, Republicans will get to draw far more districts than Democrats because they control the process in more states… And reapportionment between states has ramifications for the presidential contests in 2024 and 2028. Texas will now have 40 Electoral College votes and Florida 30, making them second and third behind California. That may force the Democratic ticket in 2024 to give a harder look at playing in Texas, where demographics are shifting the party’s way. And it could force Democrats to think twice about competing in Florida because the longtime swing state now has a distinctive GOP lean.” – David Mark, Washington Examiner

Black Bear Kills, Eats Colorado Woman

Bear kills woman while she walks her dogs, Colorado officials say. ‘Sad and tragic’.  JWR’s Comment: The threat of bears is real. And it is not just in Alaska and Montana. Oh, and it is those “little” black bears, too.

Bill Gates Made A Grand Solar Minimum Hedge?

With all the talk about Bill & Melinda Gates splitting the sheets billions, this map was circulated: The Bill Gates U.S. Farmland Holdings. Now, wait a cotton-pickin’ minute!  Isn’t this the Globalist Eco-Warrior Bill Gates who has been warning us about Global Warming and coastal region flooding, for more than a decade?  So, then why are the vast majority of Bill’s farmland holdings in southern and coastal states? To me, this map looks to be some strategic hedging by someone who anticipates a Grand Solar Minimum, and colder winters.  – JWR

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — May 5, 2021

May 5th is the birthday of Adrian Carton de Wiart, known as Britain’s “Unstoppable Soldier.”  This eccentric Belgian-born soldier served in the Boer War, First World War, and Second World War; was shot in the face, head, stomach, ankle, leg, hip, and ear; survived two plane crashes; tunneled out of a prisoner-of-war camp; and bit off his own fingers when a doctor refused to amputate them.

This is also the birthday of Pat Frank (1908-1964). This was the pen name of newspaper journalist Harry Hart Frank. His novel (Alas, Babylon is a survivalist classic. His personal life was marred by alcoholism, but his writing is admired and still surprisingly popular, today. (Alas, Babylon is still in print, after more than 50 years!) As an homage to Pat Frank, one of the settings in my novel Expatriates is Mt. Dora, Florida, which was fictionalized by Pat Frank as Fort Repose in Alas, Babylon.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 94 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 94 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.

Cash and Your Credit Score: Often Forgotten Preps, by Dave S.

In this article, I’m going to extol and often forgotten, but top-tier prep.

I like to read a lot of self-reliant and prepping blogs and articles, as we all likely do. Toward the beginning of my self-reliant venture, these articles and blogs were critical in my education. I am in no way an expert in this field, but I am comfortable enough that a lot of this information for me now is review, and it is always good to review the basics.

I love reading articles and blogs simply for the fact that there is usually more than one way to skin the proverbial cat, and I’m always looking for ways to improve my knowledge base or tweak existing techniques. This self-reliant community is often very willing to share their experiences, both positive and negative, so that others may learn from their successes as well as their failures. To say this community is rich in comradery would be an understatement, to say the least.

I have never written for another blog other than my own, so this is a new venture for me. I hope I will be able to give something back to someone here and return the favor that you have all given me over the last several years.

As I continue to read and search the self-reliant and prepper communities, I run across multiple hits regarding making fire, storing and gathering water, weapons and ammunition, just to name a few. It’s not that these things aren’t important, they should be the staple of anyone’s self-reliant plan, however there is one particular aspect that I rarely see mentioned, and yet it is likely one of the most common and overlooked ways to prepare for bad times ahead.

I’m not talking about having 10,000 rounds for each weapon you possess, or the most fail-safe knife ever (or two or three of them actually, remember two is one, and one is none).

If we could all just take a step back and forget about all the stuff we have and all the stuff we think we still need, and take an honest look at where we are, I think you may agree. Considering all the possible adverse scenarios that can seriously impact our future, what seems the most likely?

EMP? Absolutely, but for most of us this may never happen. Solar flares are possible, but highly improbable. With a little investigation, you may feel as I do that a significant terror event in the US could likely come from crippling our power structure as opposed to a dirty bomb. EMP’s are not that difficult to make with the right resources, and are a lot easier to conceal than a nuclear or biological weapon. Again, possible, but not probable.

Natural Disaster? Absolutely, as some of our coastal friends have already lived through. Hurricanes, tornadoes, long power outages are facts of life for these folks. If I lived in these areas, you better believe this is a priority for me. Living in rural Pennsylvania, there is some minor threat of tornado, or catching the tail of a hurricane, but very unlikely. I’m in the kill zone for a little place called Three Mile Island, you may have heard of it. It made the news a few years ago.

Foreign invasion? Another Civil War? I guess these are possible, but not likely probable. It doesn’t matter what adversity is handed to you, it is never good nor is it convenient. The only defense we have is to be reasonably prepared for multiple scenarios, prioritizing them accordingly to likelihood, and be willing to be flexible with our solution.

The Inevitable Bump In the Road

What I want to talk about today is something that is far more likely to cause a devastating event in our lives, and if it hasn’t already, it will, it’s just a matter of time. I think it is interesting that what I’m about to discuss is rarely, if ever talked about in this community, but when it happens, and if you are not prepared for it, can significantly impact your life forever.Continue reading“Cash and Your Credit Score: Often Forgotten Preps, by Dave S.”

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

S.L. in Idaho wrote to mention:

“I have had great success with a coddling moth trap. Use a ½ gallon plastic milk container – on the side opposite the handle cut a “smile” on the upper corner edge to create an entrance for the moths. Mix 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/3 cup dark molasses, 1/8 tsp ammonia and 6 cups of water (recipe can be doubled for lots of traps). Fill the milk container about 3” with mixture. Hang traps in tree by handle (I use a zip tie to a branch) when almost done blooming. Replenish mixture when necessary.”

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Captain Nemo wrote:

Hi Lily,
I’ve written to SurvivalBog before about the waterproof Bibles by Barden & Marsee Publishing.  As I was placing an order for Bibles, I noticed they had other waterproof items available.  They have waterproof copies of the Ranger Handbook available, both in top and side bound.  These might make a good reference book to pack in the BOB along with the waterproof Bible.”

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Ned C. was the first of several SurvivalBlog readers to mention this site: No Jab For Me.

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3AD Scout sent the following:

What we accomplished in April:

We put 20 more eggs into the incubator and really watched the humidity and heat this time.  This really paid off as we hatched 8 birds this time compared to 2 the last try.  Put the other batch of 7 new birds (6 from tractor supply and 1 that we managed to hatch and keep alive) into the smaller coop outside to make room for the new chicks.

Managed to get a quote for our barn rehab project.  The barn sits on a foundation that is crumbling and tilting out.  To replace it was going to be costly so I asked the Amish contractor if they could convert the barn into a pole barn.  And he said yes.  I also asked him to use rough cut lumber where he could so we can saw a few more dollars.  The barn is made from rough cut lumber anyway.  The project is going to start until June but the supplies arrive in mid-April to avoid the weekly costs increases in materials.  

Tilled the garden including some extra space we are going to use for expanding the number of tomatoes we plant as well as for beans, peas, corn and sun flowers.  Filled front end loader bucket with rocks that I found in our newly tilled soil and add those to the rock pile.

Dug 9 holes for the fence corner post and 4 holes for the post for the pizza oven.  Mixed concrete up and cemented in the corner post.  Poured concrete into the bottom of the holes for the 4×4 to sit on.  Only have a few more “T”-post to pound in one more corner post put in.

Gathered up a bunch of LED flashlights, some GMRS\FRS radios, a spare 2-meter radio, a shortwave receiver, my goal zero solar panel and accessories, battery charger, 2 inverters and some other goodies and put them into faraday cages.  

I attended an auction at the auction house I’ve been going to since I was a kid in my teens.  I was going there to bid on a set of patio furniture.  As I returned home I got my usual interrogation on what I spent and on what “junk”.  I thought I gave the wife a heart attack when I told her I bought 1 thing for $30.  She looked at me to see if I was joking.  I told her it was a very odd auction.  The “junk” (her definition not mine).   Tools and other useful items that were always had for extremely low prices were going sky high while the “do pretties” (items that all they do is look pretty), furniture and stuff the normally fetched a higher dollar went extremely low.  Solid oak, American Made furniture in like new shape being sold for $100 apiece.  The furniture came out of an estate from a local wealthy businessman, and everyone knew it.  How odd was it?  Solid oak high boy dresser in new shape $100, an 8-piece made in China, damaged patio set $400!!  Tools that normally would have gone for $8-10 a box were going for $20 and higher.  I did notice a huge number of newbies (when you attend auctions for a few decades you get to recognizing people)  As I left for my 45 minute drive back home almost empty handed I pondered what  I had just witnessed.  Perhaps the new people were the still laid off folks who were buying tools for side hustles or for the means of production/repair?  Antique dealers were not buying perhaps due to full inventories and less buyers?  Just a very strange auction but I was happy to walk away with a like new PUMA fixed blade knife with leather sheath for my daughter.  

Purchases for the month included 8 bags of Butterscotch hard candy, 20 pounds of elbow macaroni, 8 pounds of whole bean coffee (due to bad harvest and other supply chain issues). I also found 200 round box of 223 for $139.  Even with bad weather and few vendors I was able to score 4 used standard capacity AR mags, a pair of woodland BDU pants and a dozen 1 ½ pint canning jars.  I picked up two boxes of activated carbon for the home chemistry kit.  The big purchase in April was the Lithium Iron Phosphate 42AH Battery that I picked up at one of the local Amish stores.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — May 4 2021

Release Day!  Our Editor-At-Large Michael Z. Williamson has a new sci-fi anthology in his Freehold series that will be released today by Baen Books: Freehold Defiance. I’ve started reading my advance copy, and it is great! It should now be available from all major online retailers and brick-and-mortar stores. I’d of course prefer that you order your copies from Books-A-Million (BAM), so that we can starve the Amazon beast.

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On May 4, 1415, reformers John Wycliffe and Jan Hus were condemned as heretics at the Council of Constance. The death of Hus inspired the later Hussite revolution in Bohemia.

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With just 27 days left in Round 94 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest., we are nearly out of articles to post and judge. This is your opportunity to finish writing your article and send it in. It will probably be posted within a week. And you’ll then be in the running to win a lot of great prizes! (See below.)

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 94 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 94 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.

Speed Up Your AR-15 Lower Builds, by R.F.

A Parts Organizer Helps You Several Ways

I find it a bit of a challenge keeping all of the thirty-plus AR-15 lower receiver parts organized when building a lower. The lower parts kits (LPKs) arrive packaged in many different ways. It’s a treat to have them come nicely blister packed or tray packed if you’re lucky enough get it that way or were willing to pay extra. But it is far more typical to have them arrive in one or more plastic poly bags packed in a larger bag or even in a blister pack like the example shown, from DPMS. Sometimes the bags are color-coded by function group but in my experience mostly they are not.

Regardless of the packaging, my assembly method always begins with making sure that the LPK I have is complete. That usually means opening all bags and laying everything out on a parts tray or pad. I also like to separate them by functional group such as the 3 mag release parts, the 4 parts for the bolt catch, etc. Multi-cavity parts trays are okay for this but fishing small parts out of a square cavity usually involves tweezers and some frustration. Magnetic parts tray can be useful, but you also get the unwanted bonus of having every steel tool and part on your benchtop sticking to it. I have searched repeatedly online and at gun shows for a better organizing method but with no joy. I finally decided to design and build my own. Perhaps I am looking for a solution to something others don’t think is a problem but now that is done, I am glad that I did it.

I definitely wanted something better than I had, so I began by listing the objectives I wanted to accomplish. I came up with these five things:

  1. Help confirm all parts are present.
  2. Group the parts in order of assembly
  3. Stage parts together by functional groups
  4. Allow me to accommodate interruptions
  5. Inexpensive and simple

Continue reading“Speed Up Your AR-15 Lower Builds, by R.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 focus on railroad transport in the American Redoubt region: passenger, freight, and even scenic excursion trains.

Idaho

Construction continues in Idaho’s busiest track confluence: Second rail bridge at Sandpoint.

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Lakeside Idaho City Is America’s Hottest Housing Market in New WSJ/Realtor.com Index

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Bill to kill up to 90% of Idaho wolves heads to governor

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Idaho Lawmaker Aaron von Ehlinger, accused of raping 19-year-old, resigns. (A Republican, from Lewiston.)

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Idaho’s first intermodal rail terminal will help agriculture

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“In particular, the State has arrogated to itself a compulsory monopoly over police and military services, the provision of law, judicial decision-making, the mint and the power to create money, unused land (“the public domain”), streets and highways, rivers and coastal waters, and the means of delivering mail…the State relies on control of the levers of propaganda to persuade its subjects to obey or even exalt their rulers.” –  Murray N. Rothbard, The Ethics of Liberty

Kimber Micro 9, by Pat Cascio

Many of us, when we were kids, at Christmastime, or on our birthdays, would always look for the biggest present, and open that one first – because we all knew that, the bigger the present, the better the present. Well, I don’t know about other folks, but I’ve learned, as I grew older that, some of the best gifts came in small packages. My first Christmas, with my lovely wife, Mary, in 1979, found us without jobs – no income – and a tiny foot-tall artificial Christmas Tree. And, we agreed that we would only spend $25 on each other’s gift. I got a nice Buck 110 folding knife and I present Mary, with a Timex watch – and we were both extremely pleased with our meager gifts. Needless to say, both gifts came in small packages.

Today, I still believe some of the best gifts, come in the smallest packages, and that leads us to the Kimber Micro 9, 9mm Parabelum handgun. It is one of the smallest 9mm pistols on the market. At first glance, this little gun appears to be a dead-ringer for a 1911 pistol. However, there are changes – out of necessity, to required some of the operating parts to be different from the internals of a regular 1911. One thing the designers at Kimber did was to keep this a single-action trigger pull. However, it isn’t like the 1911, instead of a trigger that moves back and forth, it is hinged and actually pivots upwards just a little bit, but it is still a single-action trigger pull. The ejection port is lowered and flared, so empty brass, as well as loaded rounds will cleanly eject. The extractor is very small. I had some concerns about it – but it works just fine – all the time.

The slide on my Micro 9 is made out of stainless steel, and Kimber has some of the tightest tolerances they could produce on this little 9mm handgun. There is no play between the slide/barrel/frame – none – it is “that” tight. The frames on all of the various Micro 9 frames are manufactured out of Aluminum – doesn’t matter which model you want, it will have a lightweight Aluminum frame. And, on this model, the frame is anodized in a silver color, not quite matching the stainless steel slide.Continue reading“Kimber Micro 9, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Joe’s Big Batch Chili

The following chili recipe comes to us from SurvivalBlog reader Joe T. Joes says: “This recipe is for making a large quantity of chili to store in the freezer for future use. You will need one large 4 gallon kettle or two 2-gallon kettles.”

Ingredients
  • 5 pounds of dry beans
  • 6 pounds of lean ground beef
  • 3 pounds of sausage
  • 4 quarts of tomatoes/salsa
  • 3 quarts of water
  • 40 garlic cloves
  • 7 tsp of cumin
  • 7 bell peppers
  • 7 small onions
  • 17 Tbl chili powder
  • 1, 6 oz can of tomato paste
  • 10 Tbl brown sugar
  • 10 beef bullion cubes
Directions
  1. Soak beans overnight in 2 gallons of water.
  2. Discard water the following day.
  3. Cook meat and discard grease.
  4. Add water and tomato/salsa to beans and bring to boil and simmer.
  5. Chop garlic, onions and peppers and put into the cooking chili.
  6. Add remaining ingredients to the chili.
  7. Cook until beans are soft and all ingredients is well cooked (usually 3 hours).
STORAGE

Makes about 3 gallons of chili. Fills about 12 quart Ziploc freezer bags.

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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 how copper is leading a commodities boom and general price inflation. (See the Commodities section.)

Precious Metals:

Palladium Tops Record $3,000 Amid EV-Demand Surge, Supply Chain Pressure

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Tom C. sent a link to a fascinating video interview: Why has silver price not yet spiked from demand, but copper has? Lobo Tiggre. Tom’s Comment: “I think you will really enjoy this video, especially starting at the 20-minute mark. Just watch those two minutes, if nothing else.”

Economy & Finance:

A Record 34% Of All Household Income In The US Now Comes From The Government

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Reader G.G. suggested this, over at Zero Hedge: US Sells Treasury Bills At 0% For The First Time Since The Covid Crash

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A fascinating, insightful video interview: Election Panic Coming in 2022 – Martin Armstrong

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Value Investing Icon Jumps Off Manhattan Skyrscraper To His Death Days After Liquidating Fund

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BofA’s Doomsday Prediction: The Fed’s 2021 Policy Of “Rhetorical YCC” To Support Stocks “Ultimately Fails”

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“In March, the hedge fund Archegos struck an iceberg. In just two days, the highly leveraged fund went from “business as usual” to total collapse. Performance rapidly degenerated; the fund was unable to meet margin calls; its bankers seized its collateral; the fund was out of business. Archegos lost everything.

Although Archegos was held only by founder Bill Hwang’s family, its saga offers broad investment lessons.

Victories can be hazardous. They present temptation enough for retail investors, who frequently, as the saying goes, confuse brains with a bull market. After making a couple of winning trades, it’s natural to assume that the trend will continue. The first two times I bought a stock, I doubled my money within 12 months. I had enough experience to know that some of that gain owed to luck, but not enough to know that all of it did. Never since then have I repeated that feat.

Imagine, then, the position of professional investors, who possess the additional hazard of occupational ego. Their livelihood depends upon their ability to best their rivals. Such competition is not for the timid; it demands a high degree of self-confidence, to overcome the lingering doubts. What’s more–although this point did not apply to Archegos, which operated privately–public fund managers face shareholder pressure to demonstrate “the courage of their convictions.”

Bill Hwang certainly showed the courage of his convictions. He grew the fund to $10 billion by borrowing mightily, and after that triumph, continued borrowing mightily. Estimates for the fund’s final leverage ratio range as high as 8 to 1, meaning that even a modest loss would have consumed the fund’s equity. Which is in fact what happened. Archegos wasn’t destroyed by a huge bear market–it suffered what should have been a temporary decline, but which became permanent. Pride went before the fund’s fall.” – John Rekenthaler