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 look at changing weather patterns.

New Jet Stream Pattern Could Imperil Crops

Reader C.B. flagged this important article about changing weather patterns: Newly identified jet-stream pattern could imperil global food supplies, says study. Here is how the article begins:

“Scientists have identified systematic meanders in the globe-circling northern jet stream that have caused simultaneous crop-damaging heat waves in widely separated breadbasket regions-a previously unquantified threat to global food production that, they say, could worsen with global warming. The research shows that certain kinds of waves in the atmospheric circulation can become amplified and then lock in place for extended periods, triggering the concurrent heat waves. Affected parts of North America, Europe and Asia together produce a quarter of the world food supply. The study appears this week in the journal Nature Climate Change.

“We found a 20-fold increase in the risk of simultaneous heat waves in major crop-producing regions when these global-scale wind patterns are in place,” said lead author Kai Kornhuber, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University’s Earth Institute. “Until now, this was an underexplored vulnerability in the food system. During these events there actually is a global structure in the otherwise quite chaotic circulation. The bell can ring in multiple regions at once.”

Kornhuber warned that the heat waves will almost certainly become worse in coming decades, as the world continues to warm. The meanders that cause them could also potentially become more pronounced, though this is less certain. Because food commodities are increasingly traded on a global scale, either effect could lead to food shortages even in regions far from those directly affected by heat waves.”

JWR Adds: My favorite web site for jet stream weather maps is provided by the folks at Weatherstreet.com.   Check out all of the options. It is an amazing resource that I recommend bookmarking.

Portland Mandates ‘Rest Spaces’ for the Homeless

Reader H.L. sent us this: Portland to force new construction to include mandatory ‘rest spaces’ for the homeless.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

3

“And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.

And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.

Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis;

And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days.

And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.

And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.

And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.

And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:

The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,

And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,

And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.

And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.

And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:

Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

And when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go.

And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace.

But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.

And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans.

And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city.

And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.” – Acts 16: 8-40 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — December 21, 2019

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On December 21, 1620, William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims landed on what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 86 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3,000 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 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 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.
  3. 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,
  4. A $300 purchase credit for any of the products from EMPShield.com
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  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).
  7. 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. Good2GoCo.com is providing a $400 purchase credit at regular prices for the prize winner’s choice of either Wise Foods or Augason long term storage foods, in stackable buckets.
  2. 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)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 86 ends on January 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.

Survival Hunting – Lessons Learned – Part 2, by O.V.

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(Continued from Pat 1. This concludes the ariticle.)

The last animals I want to discuss are all the rest of the animals that come to the corn. That’s just about everybody in your area. Because they want to eat the corn, or the deer and other animals that do. So you’ll have turkeys plus predators of all kinds and especially raccoons! I don’t eat them myself, but the survival experts say they are a critical piece of survival food, with a lot of essential at. They are a pain for me because I do animal control work on a nature preserve and the corn they gobble up eats into my budget. But in a survival situation where corn is precious, coons will dig around to find every last kernel you wildly scattered into tall grass. I don’t see pigs every night especially after they have been shot at. But if there is corn, there will be coons.

If you are starting to see a trend, you should. Corn is an attractant for many game animals. Plan around it by planting or storing it or bartering for it. Don’t store it too close to the residence though. The beetles it produces are a real misery. Night hunting is probably going to be helpful, especially in the pea patch if it isn’t fenced.

And that brings up another piece of equipment I forgot earlier. Sound suppressors may or may not be legal to hunt with in your area in the present day but they will have huge benefits in a societal collapse. Don’t assume you’ll just stack up game animals like cordwood with one. It doesn’t work like that – they will still run. But it helps both with the animals and with the local humans – the good ones who want to sleep and the bad ones who want to see what you just shot.

I also forgot rain gear. Animals don’t like a storm much, but a drizzle is no hinderance to many animals. Your flyweight hi-tech stuff won’t hold up to hard use – ask me how I know. Get old fashioned stuff like Filson. It kind of sucks if you are working hard because it doesn’t breath and you get sweaty, but if you can’t go down to the store and buy another, it’s what you need. An appropriate breed of dog is huge. A metric ton of ammunition is another item I think most people are in denial about. You think you have plenty? Do the math. Your family plus refugees times 3 meals per day times 365 days per year times, let’s say, 15 years needing how many squirrels/rabbits/tweety birds per meal? The gun community has a saying as we watch the roller coaster of gun control panics: Buy it cheap and stack it deep.Continue reading“Survival Hunting – Lessons Learned – Part 2, by O.V.”

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. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. Note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

December 21st is of course the day of the Winter Solstice. We can now look forward to lengthening days. Spring is still a long way off, but we can be confidently hopeful. God set celestial mechanics in motion with amazing precision.

I’m still out of state, helping an elderly relative. (Several family members take turns.) I have a bicycle with me, so I also get plenty of exercise, while I’m staying here. I’ve been averaging 14 miles a day on the bike. I’ve found that whenever I’m here, I actually get a lot of writing done. Next week, I plan to wrap up the blog writing through December 31st, so that Hugh (our Managing Editor) will have a chance to create the annual blog archive early. We hope to have the waterproof archive USB sticks orderable +/- January 10th. Thanks for your patience!

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“The Lord also spake unto Joshua, saying,

Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses:

That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.

And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime.

And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.

And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.

And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.

These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation.” – Joshua 20 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — December 20, 2019

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On December 20th, 1606, the Virginia Company loaded three ships with settlers and set sail to establish Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 86 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3,000 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 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 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.
  3. 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,
  4. A $300 purchase credit for any of the products from EMPShield.com
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  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).
  7. 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. Good2GoCo.com is providing a $400 purchase credit at regular prices for the prize winner’s choice of either Wise Foods or Augason long term storage foods, in stackable buckets.
  2. 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)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 86 ends on January 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.

Survival Hunting – Lessons Learned – Part 1, by O.V.

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I’ve hunted since the late 1970s and I thought I’d pass along some knowledge I’ve accumulated albeit not in a polished format, but more of a “if you just want the answer to the test format.” It will probably come across a little bit choppy reading, but I want to hit the high points and mention the low hanging fruit. And by the way the SurvivalBlog readership wants TEOTWAWKI usefulness, so that’s the slant of this article.

First off are a couple of things to get out of the way — number one being equipment. Good stuff is a help and it isn’t cheap. It isn’t necessary, but for example a guy with a repeating firearm may shoot several squirrels; a guy with a wool coat and a pair of warm boots can hunt longer in the cold; a guy with a topo map and compass or a smart phone with a map/GPS app that can show hunting opportunities or obstacles is a lot more efficient; and so on.

Another piece of equipment is a dog. They are so useful in hunting that they are almost mandatory in some sports or at certain times of year or in certain environments. Can you do without one? Of course. Just like the guy with the single shot .410 and the cotton tube sox in tennis shoes in the snow……

Another thing to realize is when you are hungry, sport hunting, challenging methods, and moral and ethical compasses written into law by city folks won’t work. For example, I might hunt with a .22 rifle for sport, but a 12 ga shotgun might put more meat on the table. Baiting is extremely helpful especially with younger animals, and we aren’t worried about the horns in TEOTWAWKI.Continue reading“Survival Hunting – Lessons Learned – Part 1, by O.V.”

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 look at land price forecasts for 2020. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Why gold and oil will be real winners of 2020 – Wells Fargo

o  o  o

Commerzbank: Loose monetary policy to lift gold in 2020. A snippet from the article:

“‘We envisage an increase to $1,550 per troy ounce by the end of 2020,’ the bank said. ”The high optimism among speculative financial investors and the subdued demand in Asia will initially preclude any higher prices, so we expect to see the lion’s share of the upswing in the second half of the year.”

Prospects for the yellow metal are ‘positive,’ the bank said.

‘Monetary policy pursued by the major central banks will remain ultra-loose next year,’ analysts said. ‘Admittedly, the U.S. Fed ruled out any further rate cuts. All the same, they are not entirely off the table, and are still more likely than rate hikes.'”

o  o  o

The real gold price rally hasn’t even started yet, says analyst who called $1,500

Economy & Finance:

Reader H.L. sent this sobering news that a manufacturing recession may be beginning: An American trucking giant is slated to declare bankruptcy — and it may leave more than 3,200 truck drivers stranded and jobless

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: “The Fed Was Suddenly Facing Multiple LTCMs”: BIS Offers A Stunning Explanation Of What Really Happened On Repocalypse Day

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: When Losses Don’t Matter: How Japanese Conglomerate Mitsubishi Blows Billions on a Jet Nobody Really Wants

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“If one, then, asks me the meaning of our flag, I say to him, It means just what Concord and Lexington meant, what Bunker Hill meant; it means the whole glorious Revolutionary War, which was, in short, the rising up of a valiant young people against an old tyranny, to establish the most momentous doctrine that the world had ever known – the right of men to their own selves and to their liberties.” – Henry Ward Beecher

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — December 19, 2019

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December 19th is the birthday of physicist Albert A. Michelson (born 1852, died May 9, 1931), who was the first American to be awarded a Nobel Prize in science, for measuring the speed of light. I’m distantly related to him, by way of my great aunt, Zelpha Rawles Michelson.

—

On Dec 19, 1776, Thomas Paine published “American Crisis”. “These are the times that try men’s souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” These words were an inspiration to Washington’s dispirited men, having suffered humiliating defeats and encamped at McKonkey’s Ferry on the Delaware River. The beleaguered troops mustered their remaining hopes for victory, crossed the Delaware, and defeated the hung-over Hessians. The revolution had been salvaged.

—

Palmetto State Armory (one of our affiliate advertisers) is continuing their AR-15 Days of Christmas sale.  They have their 16″ 5.56 NATO 1:7 Freedom Classic Upper with Bolt Carrier Group & Charging Handle in Olive Green on sale for just $219.99. Just type “7780181” in their search box, to find this item. Meanwhile they have matching Olive Green complete lowers on sale for $129.99. Just type “7779347” in their search box, to find this item. If you slap that upper on that lower then–aside for a magazine and a rear sight (or optic)–you’ll have a complete OD furniture M4gery!  That is a great deal. If you can afford to, then I recommend that you buy several sets.

They also have their Nitride MPI Full-Auto AR-15 Bolt Carrier Groups on sale again at just $49.99!  Just paste item number 516446953 into their search box. If you own two or more ARs, then you should keep at least one compete spare Bolt Carrier Group on hand!

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 86 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3,000 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 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 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.
  3. 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,
  4. A $300 purchase credit for any of the products from EMPShield.com
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  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).
  7. 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. Good2GoCo.com is providing a $400 purchase credit at regular prices for the prize winner’s choice of either Wise Foods or Augason long term storage foods, in stackable buckets.
  2. 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)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 86 ends on January 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.

Powering Tube Radios with Batteries, by Brian H.

5

DISCLAIMER: USE THE INFORMATION PRESENTED HEREIN AT YOUR OWN RISK. HIGH VOLTAGE DIRECT CURRENT, SUCH AS DESCRIBED BELOW, CAN BE LETHAL. IN ADDITION, EVEN SMALL GEL-CELL BATTERIES CAN PRODUCE HIGH CURRENTS WHEN SHORT-CIRCUITED AND QUICKLY MELT WIRE, DESTROY COMPONENTS, AND START FIRES. IF YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH ELECTRICITY, THEN ASK SOMEONE QUALIFIED TO CHECK YOUR WORK BEFORE ENERGIZING ANY OF THE CIRCUITRY DESCRIBED.

Older vacuum-tube radios are popular in the prepper world (and rightly so) for their resistance to EMP damage. One useful fact about them that is often unrealized is that many of them can be powered by direct current directly from batteries, without the use of an inverter to make 120VAC.

The All-American Five (AA5)

Many communities in the early twentieth century had 120V DC power, instead of AC. Many radios from the 1940s to 1960s were designed to work off of either 120V AC or DC power, and are of what was commonly referred to as the ‘All-American Five’ design, so-called because they used five vacuum tubes. The earlier designs used large octal tubes (50L6, 35Z5, 12SA7, 12SQ7, and 12SK7) and the later designs used seven-pin miniature tubes (12BA6, 12BE6, 12AV6, 50C5, and 35W4). These sets were designed to have their tube filaments powered directly off of the power line with no transformer required. (The first digits of a tube’s number, that precede the first letter, indicates its filament voltage. Note that the tube prefixes, when added together, add up to 121). Further, the circuitry was designed to run off of a relatively low plate voltage of 120V. This allowed a simple inexpensive design that would run off of either AC or DC power.

There are some variations on this. Later AM/FM radios used a solid-state rectifier to produce the plate supply DC, and used the now-eliminated rectifier tube filament voltage drop for an FM converter tube, to allow the set to receive the FM broadcast band. Some just replaced the rectifier tube with a solid-state rectifier and used a resistor to provide the voltage drop for the filament string. The venerable Hammarlund S-120 uses this system.Continue reading“Powering Tube Radios with Batteries, by Brian H.”

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 look at Michael Bloomberg’s planed war on private gun sales.

Arched Roof Cabin Kits

Fellow blogger Claire Wolfe mentioned some quite affordable arched roof cabin kits that are apropos for building tiny houses.

New Zealand Volcano Eruption

Linked over at the great Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: New Zealand volcano eruption ‘too dangerous’ for rescue crews on White Island…  The text that accompanies the video reads:

“In New Zealand, at least five people have been killed in a volcanic eruption on White Island, a popular tourist destination. Around 50 people are believed to have been on the island at the time of the eruption. Emergency services say the number of people missing is in double digits. Most of the survivors who have been taken off the island are injured, and some have suffered severe burns. Hours after the eruption, police say they fear there will be more casualties. The difficult conditions are complicating search and rescue efforts. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said there will be a time for questions about why the island remained open to visitors despite warnings the volcano could erupt.”

Bloomberg’s War on Private Gun Sales

Reader DSV sent this: Bloomberg Fumbles Facts, Laws in Gun-Control Policy Rollout. JWR’s Comment:  Although Mikey Bloomberg is being touted as a “moderate” Democrat by the mainstream media, he is actually one of the most rabidly anti-gun Democrat candidates. Note that he advocates both “universal background checks” (a private party transfer ban ) and a 48-hour hold on taking possession. Together, those new laws would absolutely destroy gun shows, as we now know them. Bloomberg has repeatedly demonstrated a loathing of the Second Amendment. Oh, and his view of the First Amendment is also quite frightening.

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — December 18, 2019

7

Mat Stein: Rest In Peace

We are sad to report the death of Matthew Stein, our Back-Country Editor. At the request of a family member, the publication of his obituary was delayed in SurvivalBlog. (They wished to downplay Mat’s survivalist outlook and preparations.)

Mat was a design engineer, green builder, and author of two best-selling books: When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency and When Disaster Strikes: A Comprehensive Guide for Emergency Planning and Crisis Survival. He also authored a children’s book, titled Geronimo the Frog. All three of those books are still in print, leaving a lasting legacy. He never completed writing his autobiography.

Mat Stein grew up in Burlington, Vermont. He was an avid hunter, fisherman, backpacker, rock climber, and mountaineer. He made more than a hundred Yosemite Valley climbs, including several of El Capitan and the Half Dome wall. He was a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he majored in Mechanical Engineering. At MIT, Mat was the recipient of their Straight T Award. That is MIT’s highest athletic honor. Stein appeared on numerous radio and television programs and was a repeat guest on Fox News, Coast-to-Coast AM, Alex Jones’ Infowars, Vince Finelli’s USA Prepares, Gary Null, The Thom Hartmann Show, and The Power Hour.

Mat Stein was a humble philanthropist who never publicly mentioned his charitable giving. And for more than two decades, he served as a guide and instructor for blind skiers and hikers. His volunteer work for Sierra Regional Ski for Light touched hundreds of lives.

He founded Stein Design and Construction, where he designed and contracted energy-efficient, hurricane-resistant, and well-insulated green homes. He also designed disk drives, water filters, photovoltaic roof panels, emergency chemical decontamination drenches, medical bacterial filters, and transportable fiberglass buildings.

Mat wrote many articles on sustainable living and disaster preparedness. He was a guest columnist for the Huffington Post. He authored several articles for SurvivalBlog that were posted between 2012 and 2014. His web sites were WhenTechFails.com and MatStein.com. (Both of those have now gone dark.) In his later years, Mat lived in the high country of the Sierra Mountains, in Truckee, California.

The following is from an obituary in a local newspaper, The Sierra Sun:

“He will be missed by many, most especially his fiancée, Mary Beedle. After being widowed at 57, he had found a new life with Mary. They enjoyed music, dancing, and time with friends. He is also survived by his daughter, Elisha Jussen-Cooke, step-son, Josh Satcher, and siblings Daniel E. Stein, Jennifer Barker, Debby Stein Sharpe, and David M. Stein.”

He died in late 2018 at age 62 of a heart attack, while leading a technical rock climb. In retrospect, that was the fitting time and place for him to pass away–while doing what he loved best. His knowledge, wit, and wisdom were as big as the mountains that he loved.

To say that Mat Stein is greatly missed is an understatement. It was an honor to be his friend. – JWRContinue reading“Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — December 18, 2019”