Preparedness Notes for Monday – May 14, 2018

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On May 14th, 1948, in Tel Aviv, Jewish Agency Chairman David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the State of Israel, reestablishing the Jewish state after 2000 years. In an afternoon ceremony at the Tel Aviv Art Museum, Ben-Gurion pronounced the words “We hereby proclaim the establishment of the Jewish state in Palestine, to be called Israel,” prompting applause and tears from the crowd gathered at the museum. Ben-Gurion became Israel’s first premier.

The British Army had withdrawn the day earlier and fighting broke out almost immediately. Egypt launched an air assault later in the evening. Despite a blackout in Tel Aviv–and the expected Arab invasion–Jews joyously celebrated the birth of their new nation, especially after word was received that the United States had recognized the Jewish state. At midnight, the State of Israel officially came into being upon termination of the British mandate in Palestine.

Ruger SR1911 – 9mm Compact, by Pat Cascio

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Ruger’s newest 1911 handgun is under review here. Ruger sure did it up right. Check out our findings.

The 1911 Handgun

The 1911 handgun has been around since, well 1911, in one guise or another. I don’t have the facts to back this up, but I suspect it is the best-selling model of handgun of all time, based on how many different companies have produced a version of it over the years. And, just when you think we have saturated the 1911 market, a new maker comes along or an established maker comes out with more models. There seems to be no end to what can be done with a 1911 platform.

Ruger and the 1911

Ruger was slow to jump on the 1911 bandwagon, for a number of reasons. First off, they have kept extremely focused on producing guns of their own design that have been great sellers. When Ruger does something, they don’t want to be satisfied with just copying an old design. If they can’t improve upon it, they won’t do it. Several years ago, Ruger jumped into the 1911 market with a full-sized 1911 with some features other makers didn’t offer. It was a hit! Of course, then everyone was asking Ruger, myself included, “When will you come out with ‘this’ model of 1911…” Ever so slowly, and with caution, Ruger has been answering the call for us, 1911 lovers.

Continue reading“Ruger SR1911 – 9mm Compact, by Pat Cascio”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest 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 the price of crude oil. (See the Commodities section.)

Precious Metals:

First off, there is this from John Rubino, at Gold-Eagle.com: The 1970s All Over Again? (Part 1: The Middle East Explodes)

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Gold’s Time To Shine As Dollar Loses Its Luster – Analysts

 

Cryptos:

Crypto Miners: Another Way To Leverage Crypto Investments

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Does Low Transaction Volume Portend A Bear Market for Bitcoin?

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.” – Samuel Adams

Preparedness Notes for Sunday – May 13, 2018

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

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 76 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. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value), and
  8. 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 76 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Bring Your Own Bandaids- Part 6, by A.&J. R.

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This is the final part of our article about the supplies we will need in order to address the medical issues we are most likely to experience, whether in a TEOTWAWKI situation we get to a “Bring Your Own Bandaids” clinic with experienced medical personnel or we have to treat some matters on our own. Our lists and discussion goes way beyond the first aid kit, and at the end of each section, we also note essential oils that may be helpful.

Anti-Fungals

Pills

Fluconazole is the go-to oral anti-fungal medication for fungal infections. It is available only by prescription in the U.S. At first glance, it is a bit pricey—over one dollar per pill. However, you only need one pill to treat most infections, so you won’t need to have a lot in your stockpile. But you’ll be glad to have a few when you need them. Ketoconazole is indicated for systemic infections, or for local ones that just won’t respond to other medications. It has a fish antifungal equivalent. It is also rather pricey, even when purchased through an overseas pharmacy.

Liquids

Gentian violet is a purple dye that will stain everything it touches, skin and clothing. Usually one application is effective, but may be repeated if necessary. It has the blessing of being rather inexpensive and is especially useful for treating thrush.

Powders

Powders may be used. Clotrimazole and tinactin are very effective for treating athlete’s foot.

Topical Creams

Topical creams, like Lamisil and Lotrimin used for athlete’s foot and ringworm and Gyne-Lotrimin used for vaginal infections, are great as long as they aren’t too far out of date. These may be combined with hydrocortisone to make a cream very similar to Lotrizone or Mycalog.

Continue reading“Bring Your Own Bandaids- Part 6, by A.&J. R.”

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”. Hawaii emulates the U.K. with their descriptions of a “large” cache of weapons

Hospital of Horrors

I tend to think of South Africa as a relatively advanced country, but this article sent in by reader S.M. makes a person realize just how bad things are there. Apparently, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, the conditions are so bad that the local hospital has a serious problem with feral cats. Up to 150 cats have made the general ward their home, often climbing into bed with the patients and stealing their food. The hospital does not have the funds to forcibly remove the cats, nor is anyone willing to donate the costs associated with capturing and putting the feral cats down (feral cats evidently can’t be re-homed)

“Large” Cache of Weapons Found in Waikiki

If it weren’t so annoying, I might actually class this one as mildly humorous. As it is, I have come to expect this sort of reporting from the UK, but I am still surprised to see it in the U.S. The “large” cache of weapons turns out to be an AR-15 with 15 standard-capacity magazines, a shotgun, two handguns and less than 1000 rounds of ammunition. All in all, a good start on a single person’s load-out for a defensive mission. A bit on the anemic side if anything. All the weapons were legal to own. One more reason to use good OPSEC no matter what you have. If the report is to be believed, he brought the scrutiny on himself by bragging about things he shouldn’t have. Thanks to DSV for the link.

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

Preparedness Notes for Saturday – May 12, 2018

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

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

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

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

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 76 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. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value), and
  8. 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 76 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Bring Your Own Bandaids- Part 5, by A.&J. R.

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In this six-part article, we are focusing on the supplies we will need in order to address the medical issues we are most likely to experience, whether we get to a “Bring Your Own Bandaids” clinic or we have to treat matters on our own. Our lists and discussion goes way beyond the first aid kit, and at the end of each section, we also note essential oils that may be helpful.

Pregnancy

In a grid-down scenario, pregnancy tests are not used to satisfy curiosity. A few should be stored by every woman as pregnancy can mimic other serious conditions. If a woman is pregnant, treatment protocols need to be adjusted. Is that pelvic pain appendicitis? Or an ectopic pregnancy?

Radiation Sickness

Exposure to radiation, whether from a nuclear blast or power plant meltdown, is perhaps best decreased by taking refuge in a very good shelter. In addition, taking potassium iodide 30 minutes to 24 hours before radiation exposure will prevent thyroid cancer. Anti-radiation tablets are available from SurvivalBlog advertisers ki4u.com and campingsurvival.com. Essential oils to consider include rosemary, clove, thyme.

Pandemics/Biological Warfare

Historians and physicians have warned for years that the world is overdue for another pandemic. Terrorists and rogue nations threaten biological warfare every once in a while.

Smallpox

It’s suspected that though smallpox research was officially ended years ago, there may still be smallpox samples out there that could be weaponized and bring about a pandemic. It’s also theorized that even if an individual were vaccinated against smallpox, that vaccine (received at least 50 years ago in most cases) would be ineffective against weapons-grade smallpox. Antibiotics are not effective against smallpox; prevention is either by vaccination (supposedly the CDC has enough vaccine on hand for all of us) or complete isolation away from infected individuals.

Continue reading“Bring Your Own Bandaids- Part 5, by A.&J. R.”

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,
Our region had nearly 140% of normal snow pack, last winter.  So now, with the warm spring weather, the Un-named River—that flows through the back end of our ranch–is at flood stage. It is now fully out of its banks and inundating our two back pastures. We now feel, ahem, “over-blessed” with water. The good news is that this regular flooding gives our property a high water table and hence sub-irrigated pastures.  None of our structures have ever been threatened by the annual flooding up until this point. It is more of an inconvenience. The Inland Sea”  certainly looks dramatic. It also fun to do some kayaking on it. The flooding has our cattle and horses more heavily grazing the other pastures, on higher ground.  I’ll be happy when we can move them back onto the pastures nearest the river.

Our #2 Son was back at the ranch this week, organizing his gear to get ready for some more overseas travel. I won’t be surprised if he eventually goes Full Expat.

I did some organizing in JASBORR. Part of this was preliminary packing for a gun show trip at the end of this month. I only rarely operate tables at gun shows, so unlike a lot of other gun show folks, this means that I don’t keep plastic bins packed and ready to go at all times. I always agonize in deciding what to keep and what to sell. I almost always bring copies of my own books. Since I buy those by the case at the “author price” from my publishers, it make sense to sell those regardless of the ups and downs in the gun market. There is a fine line between being well-prepared and full-blown redundancy. I feel comfortable selling the downright redundant items. Since the Trump Era gun market is fairly weak, I’m not in a huge hurry to sell too much. As a “buy low, sell high” adherent, I have to be choosy and pick out gear that I bought in bulk, at bargain prices. Perhaps after the mid-term elections next fall, when The Buying Frenzy returns, I can pull out a wider selection of guns, ammo, magazine, and field gear to sell.

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”. Dominating the news today is the escalating battle over Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.

Troubled Iran

From reader D.S.:

Do you remember the Iranian Hostage Crisis of President Carter? I do. and I will for all my days. The nightly news feature”America Held Hostage,” was etched into my sensibilities. A weak American government had no answer as we suffered the shame for our inept leadership. The parading flagellants with their chain whips brought me to Psalm 2…the heathen certainly were raging to chants of ‘Death to America.’ The leadership regime they empowered has only grown in its hate for us.

Now they will do it again.

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Like a spoiled child, Iran is throwing a temper-tantrum since the Trump administration pulled out of the horrible nuclear deal where Obama gave the farm away for nothing in return. This article, sent in by reader G.P. suggests that Iran will probably start launching cyber attacks against western countries within months in retaliation for Washington’s move. A most risk are banks and financial services, government departments and critical infrastructure providers along with oil and energy firms.

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