Editors’ Prepping Progress

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To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. Steadily, we work on meeting our prepping goals. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities. They also often share their planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, property improvements, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

JWR

Dear SurvivalBlog Readers:

This past week was fairly quiet at the Rawles Ranch. As expected, rain transitioned to snow showers.  I went ahead and attached our Western brand snow plow to our pickup, as usual. Also per my seasonal SOP, I loaded 350 pounds of sand (in long cylindrical bags) into the back of the pickup bed, to provide counterbalance and some extra traction, for plowing. To keep those tube sand bags from shifting, I use a 2×10 plank that is cut to the width of the pickup bed. The plank sits at an angle, braced up against the back of the protruding wheel wells. With the sand bags in place, that plank doesn’t budge and the sand bags all stay back near the tailgate, where they belong. Courtesy of the good folks at the local Les Schwab tire store, the pickup is already wearing studded snow tires. (I keep a complete set, on rims, for the seasonal swap.)

It feels good to be ready to plow snow.  I’ve only been faked out a couple of years out of the past 12 here at the ranch. In those two years the snows were so light that I didn’t have to plow at all. But such years are the exception rather than the rule.

Such is life, north of the 45th Parallel.

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

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 “HJL”. There is an interesting video today on disguises.

AGI

From one of our advertisers:

Banned on YouTube?! Yes! AGI just received notice from YouTube that our Reloading A-Z Course sampler video has been Banned! Can you believe it?! This video was just excerpts from the actual course. Apparently because it teaches how-to reloading, they decided that it could no longer be posted on YouTube. Again, this wasn’t the whole course it was just sample sections and they still banned it! This is where the internet is going, Censorship by leftist fascists like YouTube, Google and Facebook. they have decided that they will control what information is available to you.

What you can see and what you can not! This is a blatant attack on your personal freedom and your access to information.Reloading has been around since the start of Metallic Cartridges in the mid-1800’s. While it does require care and attention, reloading is not some new evil underground form of terrorism. But they apparently think so. Look, I have been warning everyone, they are working to restrict your freedoms and I am Not going to put up with it and you shouldn’t either.

Pelosi’s Planned “Gun Control”

Just as regular as clockwork, here it comes again: Pelosi: Gun control ‘will be a priority’ in next House.

JWR’s Comment: We’ve had 14 years to stock up since the 1994-2004 ban expired. In the most recent two years of that, we have seen remarkably low prices on battle rifles and magazines. I trust that you didn’t miss the opportunity. But if you are now feeling under-armed, then I MOST STRONGLY recommend that you stock up, while prices are still low. Look for low cost AR parts suppliers like Palmetto State Armory. (One of our affiliate advertisers.) Stack your full capacity magazines deep, as well. Shortages and much higher prices may come in just few months or even weeks.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: and Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.” – Genesis 25:29-34 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday – November 09, 2018

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November 9th/10th, 1938 was the night of the “Kristallnacht” arson and mass vandalism attacks in Germany. Be forewarned, folks: Once a group in any society has been singled out, they can be systematically attacked. Someday it may be “Constitutionalists” who are targeted.

o o o

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 79 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  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 Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  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 gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  6. 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).

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 79 ends on November 30th, 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.

States’ Rights Versus Federalism, by F.B.

50

I don’t want civil war (CW). I’m no expert on what CW2 would look like. It won’t look like CW1 with a fairly clean bifurcation of states. It could be as ugly as Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Civil war is ugly, filled with death, hardship, and loss.

Civil War 2 is Coming

In CW2, I will suffer greatly. My family will suffer greatly, and the values and beliefs that I hold will suffer greatly. Have no illusions, we will all lose in this war. But it is still coming.

Why do I believe this? Civil wars is coming because I’m not willing to submit to the suffocating cultural marxism (PC culture) that has dropped all pretense of “diversity and tolerance” and replaced it with a holy war to suppress heretical ideas. I am a heretic, and I represent millions.

Not Going To Apologize

I am a Christian. I will not apologize ever for my Christian ancestors, for a rejection of homosexuality, for the idea that the Ten Commandments should be put back up on the school walls in America, nor the idea that each nation/culture/blood line ought naturally to have a home country. I am not going to apologize for that, not ever.

Wars at Home

Neither should Japan, China, Russia, Israel, Mexico, the Palestinians, nor the vast majority of non-European nations ever apologize for seeking the best interest of their nation, which is a word that comes from the same root word as natal or birth. Ironically, most European states (including the U.S.) seem to think the mixing of cultures is somehow a noble thing. It is not. Instead of wars overseas, it leads to wars at home if not completely checked by absolute tyranny. Ancient Persia, Rome, the Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia under Tito are examples for this. And now we’ve joined that club.

On the other side, my opponents on the Left are not going to apologize for calling folks like me “little hitlers” that ought to be exterminated. To allow me to exist and to allow my ideas to be shared would be a denial of their own faith and values. So, where to we go from here?

A Union of States

In my opinion, there is a best case scenario. Each state ought to reconstitute itself as a sovereign state.

The United States used to be a Union. In CW1, Lincoln, by force, eliminated the ability of states to have a diversity of options in how they ought to live. Before CW1, southern states “opted out” of federal law in ways not dissimilar to sanctuary states and cities that reject federal immigration and drug laws or, like California, actively seek to make agreements for foreign sovereign states (which is forbidden in our current Constitution of 1789). Many states, such as Washington State, may consider dividing (as Virginia did, ceding West Virginia) in order to more closely support the interests of their people.

Let’s Go Our Own Way

Yes, this is a right leaning perspective. (I used to be a Conservative and I used to be a Libertarian. But I don’t know what those things mean any more.) I’m completely okay with California pursing its own Left wing agenda, nothwithstanding they will either end up like Venezuela or Mexico. I’m okay with another country embracing drugs, unlimited immigration, unlimited welfare, and socialism. I’m not so parochial that I would impose my beliefs on that. The fact is, we have become separate already. Let’s recognize it and go our own way.

Will the Left allow this? Or is the Left more like Lincoln in the demand for complete uniformity and submission to “the one right way of thinking?”

An Alternative Future with States Supreme

In an alternative future, federal law would be deprecated and state laws would become supreme for each state. (It used to be this way!) The scale of federal activities would be trimmed immensely. Health insurance would be a state matter, as would education, welfare, farm subsidies, roads, community programs, and a thousand other federal projects, including NASA, foreign wars, USAID, and the budget for the UN. States may even prefer to create their own money supply. The bottom line is that each state would have the ability to choose which federal laws to follow and not follow. Is this workable?

Dis-Union and Union

This would be Dis-Union the states. Should there be a Union after that, I cannot imagine that all the states would possibly agree upon a single Constitution, a single set of ground rules. This should not be considered strange. Western Europe is composed of many small states in size similar to single American states, and that has functioned for them.

The impetus toward Union of the states is always a drive toward totalitarianism and tyranny. In this week’s election, we draw near to deciding this issue once again in North America. Dis-Union is better that total war with neighbor on neighbor, community on community, county on county, family on family, and person on person.

Time to Step Back and Re-Think How This Union Works

Clearly both sides already hate each other. Clearly neither side is willing to surrender. Divorce or legal separation is better than the murder, death, and loss that will come from civil war. It’s time to take a step back from the abyss and fundamentally re-think how this Union works.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

This has been another entry for Round 79 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  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 Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  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 gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  6. 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).

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 79 ends on November 30th, 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.

Letter: Carpenter Bees and Boring Beetles

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Hugh,

My husband and I have purchased a log cabin, which we are moving into in a few months. This cabin is located in SW North Carolina, and the property is surrounded by a national forest. We are dealing with carpenter bees and boring beetles. My husband has been looking into all sorts of ways to deal with these wood-damaging insects. He just bought hypodermic syringes from the local farm store to put liquid borate in them for injecting into the holes we can see. We need a permanent solution, if there is such a thing, to keep them at bay. My husband is convinced for our first winter here we will have to go around the building injecting the holes we can see.

There seems to be a major shortage of good workers up here who can help us out, so for now we will take steps and hopefully by spring there will be some better suggestions on how to deal with the outside of our cabin. He has read up on stripping the paint off the logs by a method using corn cobs, then spraying those raw logs with bug deterrent to soak into the wood, followed by finishing clear coat. This of course, is pricey. $64,000.00 was a recent quote for the size cabin we have.

Continue reading“Letter: Carpenter Bees and Boring Beetles”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

3

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. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on investing in Semi-Numismatic Gold Coins. (See the Precious Metals section.)

 

Precious Metals (Semi-Numismatic Gold Coins):

There is an opportunity that presently exists, while spot prices are low and numismatic prices are also low: buying semi-numismatic pre-1933 U.S. gold coins. These are generally coins that range from AU58 to MS60 on the Sheldon scale. When the markets dip, they can be bought for as little as 10% over the spot metal value. As I’ve mentioned before: If you aren’t an expert at coin grading then by professionally graded encapsulated (slabbed) coins.

o  o  o

Here is a good primer on the subject: Bullion? Semi-Numismatic? Numismatic?

o  o  o

And I found that one dealer has a good background piece: A Guide to Collecting Pre-1933 Gold Coins

o  o  o

Gold, Silver See Slight Gains On Weaker Greenback

 

Economy & Finance:

I was asked by a consulting client about the economic repercussions of the midterm elections. In a nutshell: I still believe that President Trump’s policies have the Federal Reserve banking cartel’s leadership perturbed. Especially when he talks about possibly Federalizing the Federal Reserve. They will continue to raise interest rates in the next two years. They don’t mind torpedoing the economy if that will assure them that Trump will serve just one term. With dreaded Nancy Pelosi in control of the House of Representatives, we will witness both a circus of endless congressional investigations and gridlock on most policy issues. Gridlock will mean: No repeal of Obamacare, very little progress on border fence construction, and mostly unsuccessful attempts at “gun control” (civilian disarmament ) legislation. My biggest fear is that President Trump will attempt to negotiate “deals” with the Democrats, in order to see some of his policies continue to advance. When our liberty is as stake, “compromise” and “common sense legislation’  are dangerous prospects! Continue to pray for our nation, and watch your legislators like a hawk!

o o o

The Economy Does Not Care Who Won The Midterm Elections

o o o

Goldman Sachs: The economy needs to slow down to avoid a ‘dangerous overheating’

 

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Chess teaches foresight, by having to plan ahead; vigilance, by having to keep watch over the whole chess board; caution, by having to restrain ourselves from making hasty moves; and finally, we learn from chess the greatest maxim in life – that even when everything seems to be going badly for us we should not lose heart, but always hoping for a change for the better, steadfastly continue searching for the solutions to our problems.” – Benjamin Franklin

Preparedness Notes for Thursday – November 08, 2018

On this day in 1939, Hitler was giving a speech on the anniversary of his Beer Hall Putsch which was his first grab for power and had ended in his arrest and the virtual annihilation of his National Socialist Party. He had been regaling his followers with his vision of the Fatherland’s future and was addressing the Old Guard party members, those who had been loyal to him since the earliest days of its inception. Just 12 minutes after he finished his speech, a bomb exploded. Seven people were killed and 63 were wounded. Sadly Hitler had already left the hall with his Nazi leadership and was unharmed. The Nazi party blamed the bombing on British secret agents and used it as propaganda to stir up hatred for the British while whipping the German people into a frenzy for war. In reality, the assassination attempt was most probably the work of a German anti-Nazi military conspiracy.

o o o

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

This has been another entry for Round 79 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  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 Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  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 gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  6. 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).

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 79 ends on November 30th, 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.

Following Jesus Through the Storm: Defeating Despair, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

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Just yesterday I read of someone comparing our situation to following a guide and dim lantern in the dark. (Unfortunately I’ve lost the source link.)

Two Components

There are two basic components upon which we will expound. These follow:

  1. Confidence in the Guide. This confidence involves believing that He knows us, knows the dangers, and knows the way through. Further, it is believing that He has the power to protect us against what is in the dark.
  2. Overcoming our fear of the dark and what it conceals. We don’t know what lurks in the dark. We can’t control what’s in the dark, and we can’t foresee what dangers lie ahead on the path the Guide is taking us.

Stay Close

All we are asked to do is stay close to the Guide. How hard is that?

I think it’s important to remember the distinction between what bad people intend to do, or are planning to accomplish, and what God is going to actually allow them to do. I don’t doubt Satan has some diabolical master plan (well, by definition…), or that occultists would love to see certain things happen, but God’s going to keep things within his parameters. I have more faith in his Providence than in the evil machinations of either demons or people.

Define the Goal

Following Jesus through the storm is no guarantee that you will “win,” that you will be comfortable and well-fed, and that you will keep all your wealth and possessions intact. We need to define the goal. The goal is not to die with the most toys. The goal isn’t even, exactly, surviving. Everyone dies. You’re going to die, should Jesus tarry, one way or another.

Continue reading“Following Jesus Through the Storm: Defeating Despair, by ShepherdFarmerGeek”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

37

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 “HJL”. Food takes center stage with a couple of entries including a quote from The Woodpile Report today on hunger

Antifa

Opinion Reporter Tucker Carlson had a self-described Antifa group congregated outside of what they claimed was his home chanting “We know where you sleep at night!” The group claims Carlson is a racist and that his policies are responsible for the death of thousands of people. This same group has harassed Ted Cruz and Department of Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, forcing her to leave a restaurant in June. It’s past time that these groups are considered threats to society as this behavior goes well beyond any right to free speech. Thanks to DSV for the link.

South Africa Apartheid

Reader H.L. sent in this article showing that South Africa isn’t done with its Apartheid policies yet. The government has now barred white South Africans from registering on a government job website. In question is the Youth Employment Service (YES) website which is aimed at helping South Africans who have been jobless for longer than six months. The program is endorsed by the National Development Plan 2030 which intends to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality within the next 12 years. However, the registration criteria on the site requires the applicants to be black, in accordance with the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) definition.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Morals, including especially, our institutions of property, freedom and justice, are not a creation of man’s reason but a distinct second endowment conferred on him by cultural evolution – runs counter to the main intellectual outlook of the twentieth century. The influence of rationalism has indeed been so profound and pervasive that, in general, the more intelligent an educated person is, the more likely he or she now is not only to be a rationalist, but also to hold socialist views (regardless of whether he or she is sufficiently doctrinal to attach to his or her views any label, including ‘socialist’). The higher we climb up the ladder of intelligence, the more we talk with intellectuals, the more likely we are to encounter socialist convictions. Rationalists tend to be intelligent and intellectual; and intelligent intellectuals tend to be socialist.
One’s initial surprise at finding that intelligent people tend to be socialist diminishes when one realises that, of course, intelligent people will tend to overvalue intelligence, and to suppose that we must owe all the advantages and opportunities that our civilisation offers to deliberate design rather than to following traditional rules, and likewise to suppose that we can, by exercising our reason, eliminate any remaining undesired features by still more intelligence reflection, and still more appropriate design and ’rational coordination’ of our undertakings. This leads one to be favorably disposed to the central economic planning and control that lie at the heart of socialism… And since they have been taught that constructivism and scientism are what science and the use of reason are all about, they find it hard to believe that there can exist any useful knowledge that did not originate in deliberate experimentation, or to accept the validity of any tradition apart from their own tradition of reason. Thus [they say]: ‘Tradition is almost by definition reprehensible, something to be mocked and deplored’.” – Friedrich Hayek, The Fatal Conceit: The Errors of Socialism

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – November 07, 2018

2

November 7th is the anniversary of the death of actor Steve McQueen (born March 24, 1930, died November 7, 1980). The many well-publicized exploits in his tempestuous life and his enduring persona are well known. However, the end of his life is actually the most noteworthy part of his legacy, even though it seldom gets much publicity outside of Christian circles; he came to Jesus after he had been diagnosed with mesothelioma. He died with his forefinger pointing to his key verse in his Bible– Titus 1:2.

Guest Article: Fall Chores, by Patrice Lewis

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Editors’ Introductory Note:  This post first appeared in the excellent, long-running Rural Revolution blog. We recommend bookmarking it! We also recommend Patrice’s books.

o  o  o

Until a few days ago, October was a very dry month for us. Thankfully some much-needed and very welcome rain is moving in.

While it’s delightful to walk outside and sniff the fresh moist ground, we weren’t idle during the dry weeks. Among other chores, we focused a lot on firewood, a chief preoccupation for many people this time of year.

Summer before last, we had a neighbor come in with some huge equipment and clear out a lot of dead trees from the wooded side of our property.

He piled the burnable debris in big burn piles and put the salvageable logs in another pile just below our corral.

We’ve been harvesting firewood off that pile ever since. In the last few weeks, Don’s worked hard to cut it all into rounds.

When enough rounds are cut, we load them into a small trailer hitched to the tractor bucket, and bring them up into the driveway to split.

 

We’ve been repeating this process for several weeks now.

 

We’re stacking some of the split wood in the barn:

We’re stacking some on the side porch:

And we’re stacking some on the front porch:

We have room to stack lots more in all three locations, especially since we moved the kindling box from the front porch to the side porch…

…giving us more room on the front porch.

We always keep the hatchet in the kindling box for splitting kindling as needed.

Continue reading“Guest Article: Fall Chores, by Patrice Lewis”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

1

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. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on investing in Graveyard Plots (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

 

Precious Metals:

Eric Reed at The Street: Investing in Silver: Four Ways to Invest and Why

o  o  o

Gold, Silver Pressured By Firmer USDX, Rally In U.S. Stock Market

Economy & Finance:

Robert Shiller: ‘This is a very different midterm election,’ and markets may act differently

o o o

Midterm elections and Trump: Tuesday’s vote is a referendum on the president’s economic vision

 

Stocks:

Stock Market Facing a 2019 Crash: 70% Correction Warning

o o o

Here’s How Stocks Perform After Every Midterm Election Since World War II

 

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”