Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — March 3, 2021

Today is the birthday of Alexander Graham Bell.

It is also the birthday of actor James Doohan, in 1920. He played Montgomery Scott in the Star Trek television series and films. He was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He passed away on July 20, 2005.

And this is the birthday of bluegrass musician Doc Watson. (He was born in 1923 and passed away in 2012.) His guitar work was phenomenal.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 93 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. 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.
  5. 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. 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!

Round 93 ends on March 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.

Con Te Partiro: Closing Our Comments Section

It is with regret that we’ve decided to close our Comments sections.  It is Con Te Partiro. The existing comments will still be available in the SurvivalBlog archives, but no new comments can be added.

We reached this decision after some prayer and serious deliberation. We concluded that because the spamming and trolling were getting out of hand that the Comments had become a “No-Win Scenario.” It had become a huge time sink and the source of a lot of anxiety. It was very difficult to maintain editorial neutrality, particularly on controversial topics. So, in the absence of Comments, we are now reverting the Old School approach, where you e-mail us letters for possible posting, at our discretion. Please try to stick to just preparedness-related topics in your letters–with a minimum of religion or politics.

Comments Statistics

SurvivalBlog has been posted daily since August of 2005. But the Comments feature was relatively new. Just as a “FYI”, here are some statistics on our archived Comments, since we started allowing them in April of 2017:

  • Approved Comments: 78,943
  • Manually flagged by the editors as spam: 4,396
  • Automatically flagged as spam by Akismet software: 912,120
  • Comments deleted by the editors for various reasons: 406  (.051% of comments)
We STill Want To Hear From You

We look forward to receiving your e-mailed letters. Be advised that we won’t have the space to post all of them in the main blog thread. The highest priority will go to letters that are directly related to family preparedness topics. If your letter isn’t chosen for posting, please don’t feel offended.  A hint: If your letter has great spelling and punctuation, that will make it that much easier for us — and again, it will be more likely to be posted.  Please carefully proofread any letters intended for posting.

Additionally, we plan to start a new compendium column for any e-mailed letter that is too short to publish as an article under a heading perhaps called “Snippets” where we’ll selectively post any short e-mails too short to post as letters and any of your brief observations or helpful hints about any article published in the preceding week. We still very much want to hear from many of you!

You can send your e-mails to me at: james@rawles.to

You can send your e-mails to Avalanche Lily at: lily@survivalblog.com

Please be sure to put “FOR POSTING:” in the subject line if you consent to posting. Alternatively, for private communique, put “NOT FOR POSTING:” in the subject line.

Again, the existing comments will still be available in the SurvivalBlog archives (both online and on the USB sticks), but no more can be added.

We appreciate the many of you who had been regular commenters.  Thank you for all your wonderful contributions.

We look forward to receiving your e-mailed letters!

Thanks! – JWR and AVL

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Understanding the Liberal Thought Process, by Edward

Disclaimer: I’m not a psychologist, just a guy with an interest in human motivations. This essay gives my opinions based on observations and amateur research. Your experiences will differ, and you may disagree.

To begin, two terms require definition for purposes of this essay.

• Virtue is defined herein as a liberal’s moral belief held with such certainty that pressuring society toward greater Virtue justifies any means. The term “Virtue” here is very different from what most consider virtuous. Rather, this type of Virtue represents the epitome of the phrase, “the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.”
• Reason is best defined through an example: If someone observes the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, Reason says that the sun orbits the Earth. This conclusion, though incorrect, creates the illusion of scientific deduction. Again, the term “Reason” here is far removed from most definitions; it might be better thought of as rationalization, or justifying behaviors by applying inappropriate or fallacious reasons.

Virtue and Reason are key to understanding a liberal mind. Liberals believe that imposing Virtue on others is imperative to improving society. They believe their Virtues are scientifically validated by Reason, regardless of conflicting facts or failed results. In other words, flawed Reason validates their Virtue, which allows rejecting contradictory data, and allows rationalizing the failed outcome — often by blaming others for lacking Virtue.

Case in point: Liberal Virtue says that guns are evil, and observation shows that some people commit violence using guns. Therefore, Reason concludes that gun control will reduce violence, which validates their Virtue. Aside from the obvious logical fallacy that giving up your guns in Idaho would reduce murders in Chicago, liberals reject any data proving the failure of gun control, because accepting those facts would invalidate their Reason and Virtue. To liberals, banning gun ownership is a Virtue worth pursuing, even if doing so fails to reduce violence.Continue reading“Understanding the Liberal Thought Process, by Edward”

Recommendations of the Week:

Here are our Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers.  Many of these come from our readers. We try to emphasize small companies that make hand-crafted goods, here in the United States and in Canada.

In January, 2021 we quit the Amazon Associates program because of Amazon’s censorship. So we are no longer placing any new links to products via Amazon.com.

Please shop with our paid (banner) advertisers first. If they don’t have what you need, then take a look at SurvivalBlog’s many Affiliate Advertisers.

This week the focus is on the store closing sale at Dom’s Surplus. (See the Gear section.)

Books:

Please order your books through our BooksAMillion.com (BAM) link, and SurvivalBlog will earn a modest commission.

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By popular demand, Max Velocity is now selling his books directly.

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The Art of War by Sun Tzu.  There are paperback copies of the English translation for $14.97 at BooksAMillion.com.

Continue reading“Recommendations of the Week:”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The open frontier, the hardships of homesteading from scratch, the wealth of natural resources, the whole vast challenge of a continent waiting to be exploited, combined to produce a prevailing materialism and an American drive bent as much, if not more, on money, property, and power than was true of the Old World from which we had fled.” – Barbara Tuchman

Kimber America Stainless LW 1911, by Pat Cascio

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Long-time SurvivalBlog readers will know that I’m a sucker for a well-made 1911 – in any configuration. However, my thinking has changed over the years. And, with the current climate all around the world, meaning political, and of course, the many wars taking place. I wouldn’t pick any 1911 as my one and only handgun for an End Of The World situation. As I’ve mentioned before, I’d go with a handgun with a larger magazine. Still, I love the 1911, and have carried one on and off duty in law enforcement, and as a civilian. Even to this day, I’ll strap on some kind of 1911 for a day or two – just because!

I remember when the first Kimber guns came on the scene, and they had everything most savvy 1911 owners wanted, and at a price point, that was only slightly more than a bone stock basic entry-level 1911 was selling for. So they were an instant success! I had one minor complaint at that time, and it was the cheap black rubber grips that came on a factory “custom” 1911 – and most owners immediately swapped out those cheap rubber grips, for some nice wooden grips.

The only complaint I still have with a Kimber is about one of the Metal Injection Molded (MIM )parts: the thumb safety! I had more than a few of these safeties snap off when taking it off “safe” to fire the gun – and you could see the “defect” in the safety – some small voids left behind in the molding process. I believe Kimber would do better, to make the extended combat safety lever, be molded a little farther back on the part – relieving the stress level on the thumb safety – just my take on it. I used to swap out the slide stop lever on most 1911s, with a forged one – just to be sure, it wouldn’t snap-off – I don’t do that any longer because I haven’t had a MIM or cast slide stop lever fail me.

MIM affords some great small parts at a big savings to the consumer, and they are often ready to install on a 1911 without much, if any fitting. If you know anything about firearms, you know that, when it comes to a 1911, many parts can’t just be dropped-in – they have to be hand-fitted. Over the years, when I was doing gunsmithing, I had more than a few customers bring me a 1911, that they had installed a part into it – and it wouldn’t function – they had no idea how to fit a part – they just assumed that all parts dropped in.

These days, I can usually be caught carrying some sort of compart 9mm handgun for my daily carry needs. I don’t feel the need for anything more, now that I’m just another private citizen, semi-retired, and live in the boonies. So my threat level isn’t what it used to be. Still, I usually have a compact or sub-compact 9mm that holds a lot of rounds. I have all the faith in the world with a .45 ACP round when it comes to stopping a threat. However, you are limited on the number of rounds in the single-column magazine of a 1911. The 9mm with good JHP or specialty rounds, will get the job done, in my humble opinion. Still, if I were going into a hostage rescue situation or similar high-threat event, I’d grab a 1911 – I have all the faith in the world in a 1911 and the .45 ACP round.

One of the newest 1911s from Kimber is their Stainless LW – the pistol under review in this article. The title is a little misleading, because the frame is manufactured out of lightweight aluminum, but the slide is made out of stainless steel. And, this gun is available in 9mm or .45 ACP – that is, if you can find one – they are made in limited production runs and they won’t be available for sale all the time.Continue reading“Kimber America Stainless LW 1911, by Pat Cascio”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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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, some wind turbine news. (See the Idaho and Wyoming sections.)

Idaho

Lincoln County commissioners receive update on massive wind farm project. The article begins:

“The Lincoln County commissioners received an update on the massive wind farm project that could possibly break ground in the summer of 2022 if everything goes right.

On Monday, the Bureau of Land Management updated the commissioners on Magic Valley Energy, LLC’s Lava Ridge Wind project.

The proposed project has been projected around $1 billion dollars, and it will be located primarily on public land administered by BLM, located 25 miles northeast of Twin Falls within the counties of Lincoln, Jerome and Minidoka.

The proposed project includes an estimated 400 wind energy generating turbines up 740 feet tall, six substations, and the project would encompass somewhere between 1,300 to 1,700 acres.”

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Here’s a new parcel that I saw listed with Survival Realty Brokerage Services: 10 Acres with National Forest Boundary, near Sandpoint, Idaho.

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Nampa man pleads guilty to killing ex-wife, fatal Oregon crash

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Court document shows what led up to Capitol riot arrests of Sandpoint man, brother

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The Coolest Place in the US You’ve Never Heard of… Three Days in Stanley, Idaho

And from the same travel bloggers:
Pettit and Toxaway Lakes Loop: Two Nights Backcountry Camping in the Sawtooth Mountains

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Urban friends ask me how I can stand living here, ‘so far from everything?’ When I hear this question over the phone, I’m usually looking out the window at a forest, a running creek, and a vegetable garden, thinking: Define ‘everything’.” – Barbara Kingsolver

February 2021 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran

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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 February?

Gold didn’t have a very good month in February, closing at a second monthly loss in a row. This culminated in a $53 drop in spot gold on the last trading session of the month, hitting $1,716 an ounce before recovering back to $1,730. This puts gold on track for the worst month in four years.
The pain this month wasn’t limited to gold. Treasuries had a major sell-off, and high-flying tech stocks took a beating. This was caused by several things, but it can all be traced back to bets that the economy will recover faster than the Fed thinks it will.

Factors Affecting Gold This Month

SIGNS OF IMPROVING ECONOMY
Most of the economic news from the government this month came in above expectations. This buoyed market sentiment, and pressured gold. For example, retail sales increased by 5.3% in January, helped by the $600 stimulus checks sent out by President Trump. Wholesale prices rose 1.3% in January, the largest monthly jump since 2009.

On February 17th, gold formed a death cross, after losing $70 an ounce over four sessions.
It wasn’t just economic news boosting investor sentiment. The COVID vaccination program finally started getting into gear.

COVID
The US started the month with more people who have had at least one shot of the coronavirus vaccine than there were active cases. COVID infection rates are slowing as more people are vaccinated. Faster rates of vaccinations have people hoping that things will get back to normal by Christmas. Investors are changing their portfolios now to take advantage of it.

However, new more contagious strains of the coronavirus from Britain and South Africa are causing faster infections this month. Health officials are accelerating vaccinations while pharmaceutical companies test new versions aimed at stopping these strains.

BONDS
Higher bond yields were the major direct driver of gold prices in February. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note broke above 1.3% on the 17th, and was partly responsible for gold prices entering a death cross the same day.

These rocketing bond yields are a direct result of the market thinking inflation is just around the corner. 10-year yields started February at 1.117%. It hit 1.2% on the 7th, 1.3% on the 16th, and 1.4% on the 24th.

More than $50 billion worth of bonds were sold in one session on the 25th, pushing yields over 1.6%. The yield on the 10-year Treasury eased back to 1.5% on the 26th, but analysts warn that there is more to come.

STOCKS
Higher Treasuries yields have sparked a “reflation trade” in the stock market. Investors are selling tech stocks and “stay at home” stocks, in favor of companies that will benefit the most from an end to the COVID epidemic. This rotation has been painful for the market as a whole, as stocks alternate between touching new highs, and getting battered down.

Growing worries of inflation suddenly rising are hitting stocks that will be adversely affected, and boosting bank stocks, which do better during inflationary times.Continue reading“February 2021 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran”

Recipe of the Week: Snow Ice Cream

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The following recipe for Snow Ice Cream comes to us from SurvivalBlog reader Laura E.:

During or after every fresh snowfall, I mix up a batch of snow ice cream for my husband’s sweet tooth.  Kids would love to make this fast and simple seasonal treat, too.

Ingredients
  • Snow
  • Sweetened condensed milk
  • Flavor(s) of choice (cocoa, vanilla or peppermint extract, fruit, etc)
Directions
The density of the snow will influence the amount of condensed milk you need to create a creamy consistency (closer to that of ice milk than of ice cream).  So I use two bowls.
1.  Scoop up fresh snow from a clean spot with a large bowl or pot (metal works best to keep it cold).
2. Spoon about 5-6 cups of snow into a second bowl.
3.  Pour the thick, sweetened condensed milk over the snow and stir it in, until you get the consistency you desire, or add more snow or more milk.  I generally find that one 12 oz can of milk is appropriate for 5-6 cups of fresh, soft snow.
4.  Add your flavorings of choice, a little at a time until you like the taste.  Because the condensed milk is sweetened, you do not need to add additional sweeteners unless you wish to do so. Start with just one teaspoon of any extract, or 1/4-1/3 cup of cocoa, or 1 cup of fruit.  (Canned peaches and soft berries are terrific.)  If you drizzle some honey or syrup into the snow, the liquid will freeze and harden into little crunchy caramel-like bits.
Enjoy!
SERVING And STORAGE

Eat right away or store outside or in the freezer.

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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

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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 ammunition shortage. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

See Steven Cochran’s monthly precious metals recap report, also posted today.

Economy & Finance:

Personal income leaps 10% in January thanks to stimulus, but inflation still in check

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At Zero Hedge: Rabo: We Are About To Lose All Price Discovery – And Never Go Back Again Without A Systemic Crash

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Over at Alt-Market: Online Furniture, Grocery, Clothing Sales Explode as Brick & Mortar Melts Down

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At Wolf Street: Just Don’t Expect “Pent-up Demand” from Consumers. Here’s Why

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Security flaw detected for the second time in credit cards

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Reader H.L. suggested this: Blowing Up The “Everything” Bubble

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Are we at last brought to such humiliating and debasing degradation that we cannot be trusted with arms for our defense? Where is the difference between having our arms in possession and under our direction, and having them under the management of Congress? If our defense be the real object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands?” – Patrick Henry, from: Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution