Preparedness Notes for Thursday – October 11, 2018

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On this day, in 732, at the Battle of Tours near Poitiers, France, Frankish leader Charles Martel, a Christian, defeated a large army of Spanish Moors, halting the Muslim advance into Western Europe. Abd-ar-Rahman, the Muslim governor of Cordoba, was killed in the fighting, and the Moors retreated from Gaul, never to return in such force.

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Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by Hurricane Michael. Let’s continue to pray for their safety and wisdom in the choices they make.

Guest Article: Seven People You Don’t Want in Your Group, by Kit Perez

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Editor’s Introductory Note: This article first appeared in the American Partisan blog. It is re-posted with permission.

I get a lot of questions about recruiting. How to do it, when to do it, when not to. While the best way to answer those questions is in an actual class (and there are still a few spots open in the webinar class I’m teaching on it), there are some hard and fast rules about the type of people you want and don’t want in your group. In fact, there’s a list of automatic disqualifications that I tend to use and teach others. If someone is on the disqualification list, they’re an automatic no-go. It doesn’t mean they aren’t friends, or that I suddenly see them as not worth having in my life; I’m talking about purely an ally standpoint. The 0300 call for assistance. The people who I can count on no matter what. After all, what’s the purpose here? If your goal is just to go to rallies and be seen “doing patriot stuff,” then don’t even bother reading the rest of the article, because it’ll fly right over your head.

The rules tend to make people uncomfortable or even angry. “Well, my friend Jack might meet one of those automatic disqualifications but you don’t know him. I do. He’s solid.” Here’s the thing: your knowledge of him doesn’t trump your adversary’s knowledge of how to take a person like Jack and manipulate him into doing things he would not normally do. The bottom line is, are you willing to trust the rest of your life, to be spent in a prison cell, to every person in your group? If you have a “group” of 30, 50, or even 100 people, the answer to that is no; at least, it should be — especially in this age of social media “groups” where you haven’t even MET half the people in the group, let alone had an opportunity to observe them in a variety of situations. In fact, that’s one of the reasons we advocate for such small groups in Basics of Resistance. There’s nothing that says you can’t network with other groups for specific one-time purposes, with the proper compartmentalization.

Continue reading“Guest Article: Seven People You Don’t Want in Your Group, by Kit Perez”

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”. A SurvivalBlog reader updates us on his preparations for Hurricane Michael today.

Orwell’s e-dress

Yet another leaked “internal document” from silicon valley shows that the tech giants are indeed attempting control of free speech in their desire to make Trump and the populist movement that elected him a mere blip in history. This time the the document admits that Google and other tech platfroms now control the majority of online conversations and have undertaken a shift towards censorship in response to political events around the world. Despite Google’s claims to the contrary, evidence is mounting that Google (and other tech companies) do indeed wish to control the narrative. Of course you knew that just because conservative voices are so easily squashed online, yet liberal/progressive voices shout louder than ever. Thanks to D.S. for the link.

The U.S.S.A.

The United States appears to be morphing into the United States of Soviet America according to this article sent in by reader H.L. We are seeing an ever growing amount of surveillance by the government over its own citizens along with a lessening of trust towards both sides. The writer clearly shows how America’s news outlets are clearly being used as propeganda just like the Soviet news outlets like RT and Sputnik. Now with the Department of Homeland Security’s media monitoring program, all that is left is monitoring private conversations of U.S. citizens…oh wait, thanks to Edward Snowden, we already know about those.

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – October 10, 2018

On October 10th, 1913, the Panama Canal officially linked the Atlantic to the Pacific when the Gamboa dike was demolished with dynamite charges.

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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 transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

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, 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).

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.

The Dragon’s Breath Nonlethal Home Defense for the DIYer, by AJS

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Persons in their own home may encounter an intruder who intends to take what they have and do them harm. They might run away, if they could. What if there is no way out? They may have no choice but to stand their ground, and unfortunately many people in a situation like this are reluctant to use deadly force, even if they stand to lose their possessions and possibly sustain personal body harm or even death. So what can these, who desire a nonlethal solution do if they have been forced into a confrontation when the time for talking is over?

A Home Defense Shotgun Load That’s Nonlethal

Imagine you are in your own home under threat by an intruder and you must survive the next two minutes and protect family members. What can you do? May I suggest a home defense shotgun load configuration that may deter intruders, even very nasty ones and even if there are several of them, yet save you from having to use deadly force… at least at first. You might consider using the “dragon’s breath” device, which you can make yourself, as it is not available in stores.

I happened upon the “dragon’s breath” while experimenting with shotgun reloads at my local range. As I am old and feeble now, I find the noise of a large report and the kick of a full 12 gauge recoil to be increasingly annoying. So, I have been experimenting by reloading full buck shot with lighter loads. I would use the same primer and powder measure but use less mass for the business end. It is interesting, but even removing just one of the nine 00 .32 caliber pellets actually makes a noticeable difference in recoil. One of the commercial manufacturers sells lighter loads with just that change; however, you pay more for them because of the extra effort of taking one pellet out, I suppose. I have tried those, and I think my way is better, as I take out one, two, or maybe all of the pellets. I have a choice.

Continue reading“The Dragon’s Breath Nonlethal Home Defense for the DIYer, by AJS”

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. 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 Peak Real Real Estate. (See the Economy & Finance section.)

 

Precious Metals:

Gold Faces New Headwinds As Bond Yields Hit 7-Year High

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A Bottom In Gold Price But Not THE Bottom

 

Economy & Finance (Peak Real Real Estate):

It appears that with rising interest rates, most of the United States may have already reached to point of peak real estate–that is, the precipice of a housing market crash that may make the 2006-2010 real estate downturn seem mild, by comparison. As of this writing, I’m now recommending that my readers and consulting clients sell any vacation or rental property that they don’t consider viable for use as a retreat. With silver and gold presently low, this is now a good juncture to turn some of your real estate wealth into physical precious metals wealth. Silver is still my  favorite. Remember: “Buy low, and sell high.” 2018 will most likely be remembered as a high point for home and land prices.

I recently found this fascinating article about the California real estate market: More Disappointed Sellers Are Offering Discounts.

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And along to those same lines, there was this, over at Wolf Street: Red Ink: Housing Inflects Further in Bay Area’s Sonoma County

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Venezuela’s annual inflation hits 488,865 percent in September: congress

 

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

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Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on kitchen grinders. (See the Gear section.)

Books:

The Winter Survival Handbook: 157 Winter Tips and Tricks (Outdoor Life)

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Ship of Fools: How a Selfish Ruling Class Is Bringing America to the Brink of Revolution, by Tucker Carlson

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Gut It. Cut It. Cook It.: The Deer Hunter’s Guide to Processing

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The High Security Shelter – How to Implement a Muti-Purpose Safe Room in the Home, 5th Edition, by Joel Skousen

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Lastly, “I may have a biased, but…” This is still one of Penguin’s bestsellers: How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times

 

Movies, Television & Music:

Victory at Sea: The Complete Series

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Snowden. Available on DVD, or for free stream to those with Amazon Prime.

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Braveheart (Widescreen Special Edition)

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“There are people in our world today and unfortunately in our political system, they do not believe in evil. They have the modern, western, secular mind set. They don’t believe evil exists. They are exactly the ones who are in danger of getting blindsided by evil. Because they’re not prepared for it.” – Joel C. Rosenberg

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – October 09, 2018

On this day in 1992, 18-year-old Michelle Knapp was watching television in her parents’ living room in Peekskill, New York when she heard a crash in the driveway. Alarmed, Knapp ran outside to investigate. A sizable hole in the rear end of her car and a matching hole in the gravel driveway underneath the car. In the hole was what looked like an ordinary, bowling-ball–sized rock. It was extremely heavy for its size (it weighed about 28 pounds), shaped like a football and warm to the touch; also, it smelled vaguely of rotten eggs. The next day, a curator from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City confirmed that the object was a genuine meteorite.

An Open Letter To President Trump: Knock a Zero Off The Dollar!

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Dear Mr. President:
I am writing to propose that congress make a formal currency revaluation of the U.S. Dollar at the end of this year that will have several positive effects:

  • It will create an unprecedented economic boom.
  • It will reduce the economic clout of foreign drug lords.
  • It will wrest considerable power from the Federal Reserve banking cartel, and return it to the U.S. Treasury.
  • It will correct the effects of seven decades of gradual inflation.
  • It will mean that our currently laughable Penny and Nickel will again have value and meaning.
  • The U.S. Treasury will again make a profit through seignorage. (Presently it costs more than two cents to mint each Penny. But with a revalued Dollar, the cost will drop to less than 1/10th of cent. Likewise, it costs more than 8 cents to mint each Nickel. The difference (seignorage) would again become a profit to the government, as it should be.
  • The U.S. Treasury will have the opportunity to issue U.S. Treasury Notes that will circulate side-by-side with Federal Reserve Notes. Issuing new currency that is not debt-based will both reduce the National Debt and foster economic prosperity.

Continue reading“An Open Letter To President Trump: Knock a Zero Off The Dollar!”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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Here is SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt. This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. We also mention companies of interest to preppers that are located in the region. The emphasis this week is on 2A Arms, in Boise, Idaho. (See the Idaho section.)

 

Region-Wide

Radio Free Redoubt: Episode 18-34A INW Prep Expo 2018 JJS – Intro To Prepper Comms

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American Redoubt Radio: David A. Vine “All Hazards Communications Preparedness”

Idaho

History at Meridian Speedway: Hailie Deegan, 17, becomes 1st female winner in NASCAR K&N

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I noticed that 2A Arms (in Boise, Idaho) has both expanded their AR product line and reduced some prices.

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Opponents See Horse-Racing Measure as “Bait and Switch”

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

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”. You might want to look at sorghum as a sweetener on your homestead.

Freeze Drying

Valley Food Storage, a SurvivalBlog advertiser, has posted an article on freeze drying food without the aid of a large expensive machine, using equipment that you probably already have. I will note that this is entirely possible and I have actually performed such an operation myself, though not intentionally. I will attest to the fact that it does work. However, be aware that since it is a long term process and not in a hermetically sealed and controlled container, there is a far greater chance that something will affect the food. I have never had food that came out of this process with an acceptable taste. Still, if you are looking for something that works without spending thousands of dollars and you don’t need a high volume, this can work.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Ironically, by transferring the risk of a widespread mortgage default, the government increases the likelihood of a painful crash in the housing market. This is because the special privileges granted to Fannie and Freddie have distorted the housing market by allowing them to attract capital they could not attract under pure market conditions. As a result, capital is diverted from its most productive use into housing. This reduces the efficacy of the entire market and thus reduces the standard of living of all Americans. Despite the long-term damage to the economy inflicted by the government’s interference in the housing market, the government’s policy of diverting capital to other uses creates a short-term boom in housing. Like all artificially-created bubbles, the boom in housing prices cannot last forever. When housing prices fall, homeowners will experience difficulty as their equity is wiped out. Furthermore, the holders of the mortgage debt will also have a loss. These losses will be greater than they would have otherwise been had government policy not actively encouraged over-investment in housing.” – Congressman Ron Paul, in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Subsidies Distort the Housing Market, September 10, 2003