The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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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 report the death of Cecile Rol-Tanguy.

RIP to French Resistance Heroine Cecile Rol-Tanguy

Simon sent us this: French Resistance hero Cecile Rol-Tanguy dies at age 101.

How Did Ancient People Preserve Foods?

Reader G.G. suggested this, over at the Discover magazine web site: How Did Ancient People Keep Their Food From Rotting? Here is a pericope:

“To get a sense of what preservation techniques ancient folks might have used, archaeologists surveyed the practices of living and recent people in non-industrialized societies (here, here, here and here) They found many low-tech methods, which certainly could have been accomplished by people thousands of years ago. The most common and familiar include drying, salting, smoking, pickling, fermenting and chilling in natural refrigerators, like streams and underground pits. For example, the Sami, indigenous people of Scandinavia, have traditionally killed reindeer in the fall and winter; the meat is dried or smoked, and the milk fermented into cheese — “a hard, compact cake which may last for years,” according to a mid-20th-century ethnographic source.

The various methods all work because they slow microbial growth. And drying does this best: Microorganisms need a certain amount of moisture to transport nutrients and wastes into and out of their cells. Without water, microbes shrivel and die (or at least go dormant). Drying also inhibits oxidation and enzyme activity — natural reactions of air and food molecules, which cause flavor and color changes.”

Tesla Defiantly Reopens Fremont Plant

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Elon Musk takes a stand against local government by reopening Tesla

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Most local banknotes in Somaliland are only worth pennies, so a brick of money is usually needed to buy a meal of camel hump or goat meat. The whole process of exchanging notes is gloriously exotic. In the dusty local market in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, rows of currency traders set up stalls on the side of the road with money they value by weight. Some traders have hundreds of kilos of notes ready to swap for pound sterling, US dollars or euros, with barrow-boy helpers moving the money around on two wheels or in the back of a car. I gave them $100, and was handed a sack of Somaliland shillings that made me feel like a millionaire.” – Simon Reeve

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — May 13, 2020

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May 13th is the birthday of firearms engineer Theodor Koch (born 1905, died 1976.) Koch, along with Edmund Heckler and Alex Seidel salvaged tooling from the bombed-out Mauser factory at Oberndorf, and with it founded Heckler und Koch.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 88 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any 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 (an $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, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  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. 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.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $100 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 88 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.

Knives Under $50 That I Love – Part 2, by The Novice

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(Continued from Patrt 1. This concludes the article.)

The Mini Survival Kit

Since I mentioned the mini survival kit, I will tell you more about it. It is easy throw into any pack or game pocket when I head outdoors. In addition to the aforementioned Opinel No. 8 knife , it contains a waterproof match case filled with waterproof matches, a ferrocerium rod with a built in compass and whistle, an extra whistle, and a half dozen or so cotton balls dabbed with Vaseline enclosed in a plastic bag. All of these things are kept in a pint sized SubZero stainless steel water bottle. In addition, a Sawyer mini water filtration system can be carried outside of the water bottle.

I keep the mini survival kit stowed in a water bottle, because I believe that if a water bottle can keep water in without leaking out, it ought to be able to keep water out without leaking in.

Having waterproof matches in a waterproof case in a waterproof bottle might seem redundant, but we are all haunted by the ghosts of our past. I once capsized a canoe on a river trip. Actually, I have done this a number of times, but the incident I am thinking of occurred on one particular trip. Even though my matches were in a waterproof case, they became damp, and would not light. Fortunately, I also had a cheap paper matchbook wrapped in a plastic bag that remained dry. Since then, I have become a bit obsessive about keeping my matches dry.Continue reading“Knives Under $50 That I Love – Part 2, by The Novice”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

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Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. The focus is usually on emergency communications gear, bug out bag gear, books and movies–often with a tie-in to disaster preparedness, and links to “how to” self-sufficiency videos. There are also links to sources for both storage food and storage containers. You will also note an emphasis on history books and historical movies. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This week the focus is on canned beef. (See the Gear & Grub section.)

Books:

I heard that Michael Z. Williamson (our Editor at Large) has updated his Target Terror novel series and it is being re-released. For now, these new editions have just been released as a collection of Kindle e-books.  But soon, a hard copy boxed set will be available!

o  o  o

The Lincoln Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill America’s 16th President–and Why It Failed

o  o  o

High-Yield Vegetable Gardening: Grow More of What You Want in the Space You Have

o  o  o

I’m Your Huckleberry: A Memoir

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“No doubt you’ve heard the phrase ‘ignorance of the law is no excuse’, and are probably familiar with the statist meaning of that phrase: Being ignorant of a law is no excuse for breaking it. However ‘ignorance of the law is no excuse’ also has a less-well-known libertarian meaning: This is an ignorant law and there’s no excuse for it!” – Starchild

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — May 12, 2020

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I’m starting out with some sad news, reported by Mas Ayoob:  R.I.P. Chuck Taylor. I must say that Taylor truly earned the moniker “Legendary”, in practical shooting circles.

—

On May 12th, 1949, one of the first crises of the Cold War came to end when the Soviet Union lifted its 11-month blockade against West Berlin. A massive U.S.-British airlift had broken it.

At the end of World War II, Germany was divided into four sectors administered by the four major Allied powers: the USSR, the United States, Britain, and France. Berlin, the capital, was also divided into four parts, though it was located well within the USSR sector. The future of Germany was hotly contested among the allies. The United States, Britain, and France eventually united their sectors into one economic zone, which became the independent nation of West Germany. The Soviets withdrew from the council and formed East Germany. Likewise, Berlin was formed into two parts under separate rule.

When the Western powers introduced a new Deutsche Mark currency, in West Germany and West Berlin, the Soviets saw that as an attack on the East Germany currency and began a blockade of all rail, road, and water communications between Berlin and the West. Britain and the United States responded with the largest airlift in history. 278,288 relief missions in 14 months flew in 2,326,406 tons of supplies, 2/3 of which was coal to run the power plants. Flights were made around the clock. At the height of the airlift, in April 1949, planes were landing in the city every minute.

The Soviets made no effort to block the airlift and on May 12th, 1949 allowed the first American and British convoys to drive the 110 miles to Berlin to continue to supply West Berlin.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 88 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any 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 (an $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, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  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. 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.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $100 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 88 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.

Knives Under $50 That I Love – Part 1, by The Novice

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The use of tools is one characteristic that distinguishes mankind from the animals. It may be true that chimpanzees will crack nuts with a stone and that some kinds of crows will use a stick to extract insects from tree bark. But when it comes to making and utilizing tools, human being operate on a level far above the most sophisticated denizens of the animal kingdom.

Perhaps the most widely used tool across cultures and throughout history is the knife. From the flint knives of paleolithic tribes to the laser knives of modern neurosurgeons, knives enable us to cut things with an ease and precision far beyond what can be accomplished with tooth and fingernail.

Under $50

There are many beautiful knives in the world. Pat Cascio highlights many of them in his reviews here at SurvivalBlog. But when I hear how much some of these knives cost, I recoil in horror. If I paid that much for a knife, I would be afraid to use it. (I have a similar perspective about ink pens and watches).

This is partly due to a deeply ingrained habit of thriftiness (or tightfistedness, depending on your perspective). It is also partly due to the fact that I can be hard on my knives at times. It is said that to a man whose only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. I usually carry a knife, and it is almost always the only tool I am carrying. This means that if I need to pry something open, turn a screw, or tap a peg into place, my knife may be pressed into service. Since I use my knives so roughly, perhaps it is best that I have never yet paid more than $50 for a knife.

Known and Loved

In spite of the fact that the knives that I have owned have been inexpensive, some of them have been wonderful tools, winning a place of affection in my heart. I would like to tell you about my favorites.

I will begin with the more recent acquisitions, and work my way backward in time to the oldest of my favorites. This will give you the opportunity to read first about knives that fit more modern tastes before wandering back into the recesses of history.Continue reading“Knives Under $50 That I Love – Part 1, by The Novice”

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, we focus on the Great Potato Giveaway.   (See the Montana section.)

Region-Wide

Inland northwest farmers’ markets adapting to new coronavirus rules.

o  o  o

Inland Northwest Ag Report for May 5, 2020

Idaho

A Reminder: The Idaho primary election ballot deadline is just seven days away: May 19th. Get your absentee ballot in soon.  There will be no in-person voting.  And if you are in District 3 (Western Kootenai County), then please vote for Alex Barron for Idaho Senate.

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Bonner County asks court to rule against Sandpoint over gun ban at Festival at Sandpoint

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There are two new (and quite affordable) land listings in Idaho at SurvivalReatly.com that are worthy of mention:

Private Idaho Getaway — 7.88 southern-facing acres near Kamiah, Idaho

and,

Five secluded acres in Clark Fork (near the Montana state line.)

o  o  o

23 workers at a Kuna meatpacking plant test positive for coronavirus

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“As I pass through my incarnations in every age and race,
I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market Place.
Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all.

We were living in trees when they met us. They showed us each in turn
That Water would certainly wet us, as Fire would certainly burn:
But we found them lacking in Uplift, Vision and Breadth of Mind,
So we left them to teach the Gorillas while we followed the March of Mankind.

We moved as the Spirit listed. They never altered their pace,
Being neither cloud nor wind-borne like the Gods of the Market Place,
But they always caught up with our progress, and presently word would come
That a tribe had been wiped off its icefield, or the lights had gone out in Rome.

With the Hopes that our World is built on they were utterly out of touch,
They denied that the Moon was Stilton; they denied she was even Dutch;
They denied that Wishes were Horses; they denied that a Pig had Wings;
So we worshipped the Gods of the Market Who promised these beautiful things.

When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: “Stick to the Devil you know.”

On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life
(Which started by loving our neighbour and ended by loving his wife)
Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: “The Wages of Sin is Death.”

In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,
By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;
But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: “If you don’t work you die.”

Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew
And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true
That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.

As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man
There are only four things certain since Social Progress began.
That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,
And the burnt Fool’s bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;

And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins
When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,
As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn,
The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!” – Rudyard Kipling

Preparedness Notes for Monday — May 11, 2020

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On May 11, 1949, the newly-declared nation of Israel was admitted into the United Nations.

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Take advantage of your time in isolation!  Round 88 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. The top three prize packages are amazing! (Just ask any of the 237 people who have already won prizes!) This is not some mere game of chance. Rather, this is a judged writing competition, based on writing skill and knowledge. 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.

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Today we present another product review by our Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio.

Kershaw CQC-4KXL-D2, by Pat Cascio

Right off the bat, I’ll admit that I’m a huge fan of Ernest Emerson knife designs – all of them. Over the years, I’ve done a number of articles on their factory made knives, as well as some of their knives they had made overseas. I’ve also engaged Emerson in a number of conversations by phone. We both have a similar background, especially in the martial arts, and our love for good cutlery.

One article that I wrote about some folding knives that Emerson had made in China, didn’t exactly please Ernest. I pointed out that of the six samples he sent me for testing and articles had a severe flaw – needless to say, that didn’t sit well with Emerson, but I report my findings, good or bad. There was nothing wrong with the knives or designs at all, the problem was, the handle scales were made out of Zytel (a polymer) and the pocket clips were screwed into the Zytel handle scales – using machine screws – and the screws all pulled out in short order and the pocket clip fell off. Shortly after than Emerson Knives stopped having those knives made. I’m sure Emerson’s original design did not call for machine screws to be used – common sense tells you that, a machine screw is going to pull out of a piece of plastic.

Today, we’re looking at the new Kershaw Knives CQC-4KXL-D2. It is brand-new for this year, and it was designed by Ernest Emerson, and he is one of the best tactical knife designers around – very talented. The “problem” with Emerson Knives, is getting one – they are always in demand – he stopped making custom knives some years ago, and opened a factory to produce his designs. More often than not, whenever I would check his web site, he would be sold out of his many factory knives. So, over the past several years, Emerson collaborated with Kershaw Knives right here in Oregon, to produce some of his designs – keep in mind, most of these knives are a little bit different than those on his web site, but they are still 100% top-notch knives in every respect, and the good news is, they are very inexpensive for the most part. Meaning they are affordable!Continue reading“Kershaw CQC-4KXL-D2, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Beef Mironton

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The following recipe for Beef Mironton is from The New Butterick Cook Book, by Flora Rose, co-head of the School of Home Economics at Cornell University. It was published in 1924. A professional scan of that 724-page out-of-copyright book will be one of the bonus items in the next edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick. This 15th Anniversary Edition USB stick should be available for sale in the third week of January, 2021.

Ingredients
  • 6 slices cold (fully cooked) beef
  • 1 cup beef bouillon or 1 cup water mixed with canned tomato sauce
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 6 onions
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons fat
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 2 tablespoons vinegar
  • Bread crumbs
Directions
  1. Slice the onions and brown them in fat, in a frying-pan.
  2. Add the flour and brown.
  3. Add vinegar
  4. Add bouillon or the water and tomato sauce.
  5. Cook together until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.
  6. Season with salt and pepper.
  7. Smother the slices of beef in the saute for a few minutes.
  8. Pour into a baking dish
  9. Sprinkle some bread crumbs over the top and bake for five minutes.

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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 focus on freelancing and the gig economy.

Precious Metals:

Reader H.L. sent this one in:  Silver Coin Premiums Soar: Signal “Alt-Money” Demand As Re-Opening Recovery Hype Fades

o  o  o

While the gold price consolidates, silver begins to awaken

o  o  o

Negative interest rates: the next trigger in gold price

Economy & Finance:

Deficit to soar to nearly $4T as economy buckles, CBO says

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: Beijing May Dump US Treasuries In Response To US Hostility, Start Its Own QE: Chinese Media

o  o  o

“Everything Has Been Cancelled”: Class 8 Heavy Duty Truck Orders Crash To 25 Year Low In April

o  o  o

Also at Wolf Street: Week 7 of the Collapse of the U.S. Labor Market

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”