Preparedness Notes for Thursday — March 19, 2020

15
On March 19, 1982, 50 Argentines landed on South Georgia in the Falkland Islands to plant the Argentine  flag. They renamed the islands The Malvinas. This precipitated the Argentine army invasion on April 2nd. Despite some significant naval losses and dreadful weather, British Marines re-took the island on April 25th in a well-coordinated ground campaign. Coincidentally, in this brief war, the British Army and the Argentine Army were both equipped with FN-FAL variant rifles. (The Brits carried L1A1 “SLR” inch pattern FAL rifles.)

—

I’d be remiss if I did not mention that the number of reported COVID-19 cases is now doubling every three  to four days in Germany and France. Meanwhile, Italy and Switzerlnd both have similarly galloping infection numbers. In about a week, once more tests are completed in the United States, I expect to see a similar “HockeyStick”-looking graph. Pray hard, folks.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 87 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 $300 purchase credit for any of the products from EMPShield.com
  4. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. 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).
  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. 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 87 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.

When Do We Change Masks? – Part 3, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

15

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.)

When the mask (and goggles?) is done in the “toaster,” then bag it in a fresh carry bag along with the goggles for your next adventure!

(And why this challenging routine? It’s because not only do sneeze and cough droplets carry COVID-19 but even breathing produces a mist of viruses. And those particles are so small they can stay suspended in the air for up to 3 hours. All of these droplets and particles settle out on surfaces and the floor.

And this virus is so incredibly contagious that persons who use the potty and wash up afterwards, even though they have miniscule amounts of stool on their hands, are still able to spread the virus on many if not most of the surfaces they touch. Asymptomatic transmission and a long incubation period, plus a certain percentage of “recovered” patients who still spread viruses afterwards – all these are a recipe for dramatically spreading this disease. And that is why we have to take these extraordinarily cautious steps to avoid this virus.)

WHAT ABOUT GLOVES?

I recognize that this is not a “perfect strategy.” You’d need to wear more protective gear to be “sure” you couldn’t be exposed to COVID-19. We’re working the balance between cost and convenience and the actual risk. If we try to make your protection ironclad it will be too difficult to do day-in-and-day out, and people won’t do it for long. If we suggest too many equipment items then few people can actually afford it all. You are going to have to find your own balance. You are going to have to decide how much risk you actually want to take.

So, regarding gloves. I’ve only very rarely seen anyone recommending gloves. The focus has always been on mask and goggles and hand hygiene. So I’m focusing on the main issues – the measures that will make the MOST difference.

Hands are essentially virus-proof and nitrile gloves are a bit tricky to take off properly. A person could take them off incorrectly and assume that their hands are clean when they’re NOT.

Plus, gloves are just one more thing people would have to buy. And we’re already asking them to buy $80 boxes of masks.

But if you want to wear gloves and you feel unsafe without having them on in public, by all means get some nitrile gloves (in your size) and wear them!Continue reading“When Do We Change Masks? – Part 3, by ShepherdFarmerGeek”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

57

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 a warning on NSAIDs.

Coronavirus: An Anti-Malarial Drug is a COVID Cure?

Tucker – BREAKING: A peer-reviewed study shows that 100% of patients, after 6 days of taking a Malaria drug were “virologically” cured of Wuhan Coronavirus…. JWR’s Comment:  One major maker of that anti-malarial drug, called Plaquenil, is Sanofi. They have the stock ticker symbol SNY.  (Just a little tip for you.)

Coronavirus: Don’t Take NSAIDs!

Coronavirus: Health official warns against taking ibuprofen as it ‘may worsen bug’. JWR Adds: The latest word is that all non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including Aspirin, should be avoided when  treated the novel coronavirus.

More Wal-Mart Curtailments

Pat Cascio sent us this news tip:

“Starting tomorrow, Wal-Mart stores will only be open from 7:00AM until 8:30PM. All vision centers closed as of today. All lube/tire centers closed as of tomorrow. And starting next Tuesday, and every Tuesday  thereafter, stores will open one hour early for those 60 and over, to shop early.”

Gun Sales Surge Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Gun sales surge amid coronavirus outbreak in US. A snippet:

“Many California gun stores saw lines stretching out the door over the weekend, and online ammo sales have gotten an unexpected virus-related boost as well.”

Where Hospitals Will Run Out of Beds First if Virus Cases Spike

H.L. sent this:“No State Is Prepared” – Mapping Where Hospitals Will Run Out Of Beds First If Virus Cases Spike. JWR’s Comment: Not surprisingly, the American Redoubt region should fare well.

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — March 18, 2020

21

Today is the birthday of Luc Besson, director and producer of films such as Nikita and The Fifth Element. He was born in 1959.

March 18th is also the birthday of novelist John Updike. (He was born in 1932 and died in 2009.)

—

Have you noticed that the silver-to-gold price ratio just hit a high of 115-to-1?  If you can find a local dealer with any physical silver on hand, then this would be a great time to ratio trade out gold, into silver.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 87 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 $300 purchase credit for any of the products from EMPShield.com
  4. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. 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).
  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. 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 87 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.

When Do We Change Masks? – Part 2, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

61

(Continued from Part 1.)

GET SUNNY!

Another option would be to expose your contaminated masks to sunlight. The UV component in sunlight will kill viruses. And if you position the mask just right, as the sun moves across the sky it will irradiate the entire face of the mask without any part being shaded and untreated. (You could even hang your masks from a clothesline if you clip the clothespin to one of the tabs where the strap attaches to the mask proper.)

Unfortunately, for the Shepherdess and I and many other preppers, the weather here in Spokane does not cooperate with this strategy for much of the fall/winter season. It will be too cold, too cloudy, too windy or rainy or snowy to make sunlight sanitation work. And I don’t trust the moose either. But if you’ve got sunlight – put it to work!

Just don’t put the mask on the dash of your car – the lamination of the windshield will block most of the UV light. And if your side windows are tinted that too will block UV. You could make a little aluminum-foil-covered cardboard frame to hold the mask, and cover it with Glad or Saran wrap to keep the dust and bugs and bird poop out of it. Just make sure the frame doesn’t shade your mask!

ULTRAVIOLET (UV) LIGHT

Here’s what we know:

1. We’ve known for decades that ultraviolet light works, especially the higher frequency end of the band, UV-C. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet_germicidal_irradiation Even at low power output, UV-C light tears the living daylights out of bacteria and protozoa and viruses (and you, and your eyes if you’re not careful, and pretty much anything living). https://www.americanultraviolet.com/uv-germicidal-solutions/faq-germicidal.cfml#germicidalLamps

2. “…for influenza virus, dozens of UVGI [UltraViolet Germicidal Irradiation] disinfection cycles could be performed on respirators without the UVGI affecting their performance.” The filter fabric begins to weaken against tearing (and weakens more the higher the UV-C exposure) but it doesn’t affect the filtering efficiency (until the fabric gets too weak and tears) and it doesn’t affect the head straps as much. Simply testing the fabric and straps prior to wearing the mask should be adequate. This seems to be the only downside. (1)Continue reading“When Do We Change Masks? – Part 2, by ShepherdFarmerGeek”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

49

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 some Hunkering down “how-to” and supplies.  As near as I can tell, our infection curve is about  2 to 3 weeks behind Italy’s. Do the math folks. It is logarithmic. Extrapolate. Yes, it will peak in a few weeks, but we are nowhere near the top yet. Our hospitals may be overwhelmed, just as they were in Italy. Plan accordingly.

Books:

A now often overlooked classic text American Red Cross: Home Nursing Textbook

o  o  o

Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening: How to Grow Nutrient-Dense, Soil-Sprouted Greens in Less Than 10 days

o  o  o

According to Hoyle: The Up-to-Date Edition of the World-Famous Book on Rules of Games

o  o  o

Taking Hold of God: Reformed and Puritan Perspectives on Prayer

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

13

“I personally believe that we don’t need a lot more laws, I think we’ve got far too many laws on the books now, that’s part of the problem…. We don’t need more government, more laws; we need a lot less. I’m up there [in Washington, D.C.], trying to dismantle a lot of this giant government…. When you ‘pass a law’ with the current attitude in the Congress what do you get in a law today? You get either more spending, or more taxes, or more controls…. Which do you want? Do you want more spending? I think we’ve got too much. Do you want more taxes? I think we’re taxed too heavily now. Do you want more controls over your life? Does anybody say ‘Hey look, I really believe the federal government needs to control me. I want to be a slave. Please tell me how to run every facet of my life.’ I don’t hear many people saying that. I think most people say ‘I think it’s time we get the government off our backs, and out of our pockets.” – Congressman Lawrence P. “Larry” McDonald

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — March 17, 2020

42

Today would have been the 101st birthday of famed mercenary Thomas Michael “Mad Mike” Hoare. (Born 17 March 1919) He just recently passed away in Durban, South Africa at age 100 on February 2, 2020. The book Mad Mike Hoare: The Legend is fascinating reading.

—

Welll folks… I’d say that at least in San Francisco, the Schumer has officially Hit Fan.  Headline: San Fran Shutting Down for 3 Weeks … 24-Hour Curfew Starts Tonight.

Meanwhile, some Petty Tyranny, in New Orleans. (I believe that Madam Mayor LaToya Cantrell is a bit late with her scheme, since all of the local gun shops have likely already sold out of inventory.)

Key questions of the day: Do you have enough cash and have you topped off your fuel tanks yet?

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 87 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 $300 purchase credit for any of the products from EMPShield.com
  4. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. 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).
  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. 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 87 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.

When Do We Change Masks? – Part 1, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

62

Editor’s Introductory Note: This is Part 1 of a three-part series.  It was written by one of the most prolific contributors to SurvivalBlog. We’ve posted more than 50 of his articles and letter over the past 15 years.

—

You have your N-95 filter masks. Now how to you get the maximum use out of them?

They’re “disposable.” But can you safely re-use them?

Does anybody have “enough” masks?

Fluorescent powder distribution. https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-019-4109-x

DUST?

So, when DO we change masks? Well… The tiny virus-containing droplets take a LONG time to actually plug up a filter mask (unlike dust or smoke). The mask will still filter for quite a while, but with virus droplets stuck to it, it’s now dangerous to put near your eyes, nose and mouth.

Thought exercise: Imagine that you’ve smeared the outside of your mask with “deadly poison dust.” Now, if you aren’t really, really careful when you’re putting it back on you’re going to get dust RIGHT in your eyes! (And that’s an already known avenue of infection.)

Yes, you could just put your (non-vented) goggles on first, and THEN the mask. But it’s still risky. And, yes, it’s true that wearing SOME mask, even a mask you’ve already worn, is theoretically better than wearing NO mask because you’ve run out of them.

The other problem is what to do with a potentially contaminated mask in between wearing it? It’s smeared with “deadly poison dust,” remember? Where do you store it? How do you keep the dust from getting disturbed and getting on the other side of the mask, the clean side?

In a perfect world you’d have a $500 pile of masks and discard them after even one wearing. That’s why we call these “disposable” masks. But if this becomes a pandemic in the US and there are sick and contagious people out and about for more than a month (easily), you won’t have enough masks to do that, while going about your ordinary routines.Continue reading“When Do We Change Masks? – Part 1, by ShepherdFarmerGeek”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

20

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 belated arrival of COVID-19 in the relatively isolated American Redoubt region. Redoubters already practice Social Distancing. Locally, it is just called being ornery and clannish.  We need to just amp that up a bit, and we’ll pull through, just fine. I predict that the Redoubt’s rural counties will have some of the lowest virus death rates in the nation.

Region-Wide

Americans are running for the hills

o o o

Dozens of Spokane, Coeur d’Alene events canceled due to public health concerns over COVID-19

Idaho

Reader M.D.B. sent this legislative alert: Senate Bill 1384 — Weapons, firearms, school property.  This bill: “…allows public school employees with an enhanced carry permit to carry a firearm on school property with certain restrictions. ”

o o o

Black Rifle Real Estate has a new listing that caught my eye. It is a very nice log house on nearly 19 acres, north of Libby, Montana: 1776 5 Mile Road. (In case you are wondering: It is above the waterline of Lake Koocanusa.)

o o o

Idaho health officials confirm three coronavirus cases

o o o

K-9 unit ‘backbone’ of Idaho search, rescue group

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“[I]t is the greatest absurdity to suppose it in the power of one, or of any number of men, at the entering into society to renounce their essential natural rights, or the means of preserving those rights, when the grand end of civil government, from the very nature of its institution, is for the support, protection, and defence of those very rights; the principal of which, as is before observed, are life, liberty, and property. If men, through fear, fraud, or mistake, should in terms renounce or give up an essential natural right, the eternal law of reason and the grand end of society would absolutely vacate such renunciation. The right of freedom being the gift of God Almighty, it is not in the power of man to alienate this gift and voluntarily become a slave.” –  Samuel Adams

Preparedness Notes for Monday — March 16, 2020

11

Today is the anniversary of the Battle at Pound Gap, Kentucky. (1862)

—

There are now less that two weeks left in for Round 87 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.  Please get your entries in soon!  Note that they must be at lest 1,500 words long. Articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

—

Normally, on Mondays, I post product reviews by our stalwart Field Gear Editor. But given the urgency of the current pandemic, I’m postponing the review article that I had planned to present. Thanks for your patience.

But first and foremost, I need to mention that the “panic buying ” is for much more than toilet paper and hand sanitizer. The TP Locusts(TM) have actually started thinking and therefore have moved on to buying staple foods, guns, and ammunition, in quantity.

Oh, and please read this news.  Thanks, – JWR

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 87 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 $300 purchase credit for any of the products from EMPShield.com
  4. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. 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).
  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. 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 87 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.

COVID-19: My View From The Powerhouse

23

I thought I’d give some insight on the COVID-19 impact from my perspective in the hydroelectric power industry.  As a journeyman hydro electrician, I’ll provide a “boots on the ground” tradesman’s point of view.  I’ll do my best to give a short- and medium-term interpretation of this event’s impacts insofar as keeping the lights on.  While not as prevalent throughout the entire country, hydroelectric projects (dams) are the major supplier of electricity for the bulk of those already in the Redoubt and BC.  While all the windmills along the Columbia produce more political “warm and fuzzies” than actual power, dams are the reliable workhorses that make up the Northwest’s power backbone. Reasonable steps are being taken to keep it that way.  I cannot and will not speak to the rest of the country, but I would assume CoOP (Continuity of Operations) strategies are being implemented elsewhere and my situation is not unique. Coal, wind, solar, and nuclear have other logistical issues that hopefully someone else can elaborate on.

I work for a major public utility in the Northwest.  There has been no small amount of neither literal nor virtual ink spilled over the recent virus outbreak.  It’s a big deal.  My utility and pretty much every other public and private entity is taking it very seriously.  Almost a fashion statement, I literally just got an e-mail from a car dealership in Spokane saying they’re going on the defense as well.  But think about it: These bosses, whatever we may think of them, have a vested interest in keeping things going as smoothly as possible.  Whether they answer to the shareholders, board, or voters, they’ll all have their day within the next few months.  Dams and the power they produce are a necessity for the grid and most companies recognize them for the cash cows they are.  I’m not saying “Don’t worry, the government has it under control,” but I really don’t think this virus will render my sector with its overarching implications inoperable.

Digest:  E’ry little thing’s gonna be alright.

Don’t worry. I know I’m writing to the SurvivalBlog audience. Doom and gloom may abound, but a power outage isn’t the point to get freaked out about.  Spend your energy trying to get that last corner of your pantry stocked.  I’ve been asked this so many times it prompted a quick letter to the editor that morphed into this article.  You’ll probably still have electricity.  It’s a virus we’re fighting, not electrons and for you and yours, the concerns will most likely be something other than lumens.  That said, things could change over time.  Prepare as so many other articles have instructed.  Whether for an hour, day, or year, I do believe an extended power outage will occur sooner or later but that’s not the pressing issue.  Let me reiterate, I’m writing from an admittedly myopic position at the ground level and can only confidently speak specifically of the northwestern US and possibly BC, but I feel reasonable in projecting this across the rest of the nation.  My contacts at other utilities feel the same.  After getting many late-night panicked texts, I’m relatively confident the dams will still crank out electricity with even 3/4 of the crew out on sick bed.  Let’s take a look at this.Continue reading“COVID-19: My View From The Powerhouse”

Recipe of the Week: Engineering Student Pad Thai

1

Nathan sent us his Engineering Student Pad Thai recipe. Nathan says:  “This is a simple recipe I created after some trial and error. Ingredient ratios are variable depending on taste. This recipe makes enough for two adults.”

Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter. (I prefer the stuff that is just peanuts and salt)
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon red chili paste
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger or 2 teaspoons dried ginger powder
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 pound rice stick noodles.
Directions
  1. While the noodles boil, mix everything except the noodles in a bowl.
  2. Once the noodles are done, dump on the sauce and stir until the noodles are coated.

—

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!