JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

12

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

Books:

Unfreedom of the Press, by Mark Levin. This much-anticipated book was just released yesterday (May 21st), and it is solidly ranked #1, overall on Amazon.com! (But don’t expect to see that news mentioned in the mainstream press…)

o  o  o

Reader Monica X. suggested the book No Mercy: True Stories of Disaster, Survival and Brutality, by Eleanor Learmonth.

50 States, 5,000 Ideas: Where to Go, When to Go, What to See, What to Do

o  o  o

Gunsmithing the AR-15, The Bench Manual

o  o  o

The Gun Digest Book of the Remington 870

o  o  o

Putting Food By: Fifth Edition

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

Economics & Investing For Preppers

6

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 SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at investing in Valmet rifles. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Allen Sykora: Sentiment Upbeat On Palladium, Less Dubious Of Platinum: UBS

o  o  o

“I’m Not a Gold Bug – You’re a Dollar Bug!”

Economy & Finance:

At Zero Hedge: Is It Time To Start Worrying About China’s Debt Default Avalanche?

o  o  o

Blog reader H.L. spotted this: America’s largest cities drowning in debt, with Chicago leading the way, study finds.  The Fox News piece by Frank Miles begins:

“America’s 10 largest cities, largely Democrat strongholds, are drowning in municipal debt, according to a new report from government watchdog Truth in Accounting.

The report sought out “to determine what … overlapping financial entities mean for taxpayers’ bottom line.” Truth in Accounting said its purpose was to “calculate the various bills (and surpluses, when available) at the city government level and divide them out to determine a per-Taxpayer Burden.”

The two cities with the highest burden: Chicago and New York City; Chicago’s combined taxpayer burden: $119,110; New York City’s combined taxpayer burden: $85,600.”

o  o  o

Deutsche Bank Death Spiral Hits Historic Low. European Banks Get Re-Hammered

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

3

“It is interesting to hear certain kinds of people insist that the citizen cannot fight the government. This would have been news to the men of Lexington and Concord, as well as the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan. The citizen most certainly can fight the government, and usually wins when he tries. Organized national armies are useful primarily for fighting against other organized national armies. When they try to fight against the people, they find themselves at a very serious disadvantage. If you will just look around at the state of the world today, you will see that the guerillero has the upper hand. Irregulars usually defeat regulars, providing they have the will. Such fighting is horrible to contemplate, but will continue to dominate brute strength.” – Col. Jeff Cooper (born 1920, died September 25, 2006

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — May 21, 2019

May 21st is the birthday of weapons designer John Douglas Pedersen. (Born 1881, died 1951.) His name is almost synonymous with the short-lived Pedersen Device (pictured) — a conversion kit that turned a Model 1903 Springfield bolt action rifle into a semi-automatic “trench broom.”

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 82  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 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 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 Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  6. An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. 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 82 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.

Advanced EMT for Preppers, by R.S.

6

Among the most valuable skills for any prepper to possess is the ability to deal with medical issues. Advanced training such as Medical Doctor, Physician Assistant, or Nurse are certainly wonderful assets, but they typically require a vocational commitment. This begs the question “what about the rest of us”?

Several years ago I requested a trauma kit from my family as a birthday present. Being the loving family that they are, they dutifully provided. However, once I opened the kit to review the supplies and tools inside I suddenly realized: ”I have no idea how to use this!” It was at this point that I began to explore options for gaining some medical knowledge that would enable me to assist my family, friends and community in an emergency.

Of course, I had heard of the “Paramedic” and “Emergency Medical Technician” qualifications, but I had no idea of the capabilities and limitations of each. I have since learned that there are four nationally recognized levels of pre-hospital care. Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) is very basic training designed for police and others who may be expected to arrive first at a serious medical event. This training is intended to enable them to manage the emergency for the first five minutes until more advanced providers arrive.Continue reading“Advanced EMT for Preppers, by R.S.”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

13

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. Today, we focus on William Shatner’s recent appearance in Spokane. (See the Washington section.)

Idaho

Is the Idaho state government at war with Idaho County?  The following is from an Idaho County press release:

“The Idaho County Board of Commissioners will be adding an agenda item to a future regular meeting to publicly discuss a letter received by the Board from the State of Idaho Office of the Attorney General. The letter threatens individual criminal prosecution of each current Idaho County Commissioner if the Board does not commence work within 60 days of April 24, 2019 to adopt a comprehensive plan and at least one zoning ordinance required by title 67, chapter 65 of the Idaho Code. If the commissioners are charged, they will be personally liable for their own legal defense.

The Idaho County Board of Commissioners has historically favored private landowner rights over governmental restrictive zoning and land use planning. In 1979, a county wide referendum vote was taken in Idaho County to approve or repeal Idaho County Building and Permit Ordinance No. 15. The votes were 2 to 1 in favor of repeal of the ordinance. In 1980, the Idaho County Board of Commissioners did reconstitute and established by ordinance an Idaho County Planning Commission.  However, the Commission was disbanded by the Idaho County Board of Commissioners in 1986 following a vote of the majority of the Idaho County Planning Commission to disband because of deep philosophical divides. The Board supported legislation proposed this last legislative session that would have made the comprehensive plan mandate discretionary. Unfortunately, the proposed legislation failed after multiple amendments. While the Idaho County Board of Commissioners takes the Office of the Attorney General’s threats seriously, the Board intends to give the highest priority to upholding private property rights of Idaho County Citizens while complying with the statute.”

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

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

10

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”.  Today, we look at Tiny House kits and pre-built Tiny Houses.

Lessons From The Battle of Marawi

Reader T.Z. recommended this article from an Australian author as an insight about what urban life might be like, post collapse: The Battle of Marawi: Small Team Lessons Learned For the Close Fight

Upcoming Tiny House Events

The Tiny House Talk web site has put together a links page with Upcoming Tiny House Workshops, Festivals, and Events.

You Can Now Buy Tiny Homes On Amazon

Several readers sent this: Attention Millennials: You Can Now Buy Tiny Homes On Amazon.  JWR’s Comment: If you really want one of these cabin kits (or any other big ticket item), or even a pre-built tiny house, then please use our Amazon link to start shopping, so that we can get our “tiny” commission. Thanks! 

Home Brew NVIS Antenna

An interesting new post at American Partisan: Home Brew – NVIS Antenna. This article present a step-by-step “how to” build.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

2

“There are two basic pathways to systemic collapse: external shocks or internal decay. The two are not mutually exclusive, of course; it can be argued that the most common path is internal decay weakens the empire/state and an external shock pushes the rotted structure off the cliff.” – Charles Hugh Smith

Preparedness Notes for Monday — May 20, 2019

May 20th, 1942 was the birthday of Carlos Hathcock (died February 23, 1999.)  He was a United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 82  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 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 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 Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  6. An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. 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 82 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.

Rock Island Armory M200 Revolver, by Pat Cascio

17

The good ol’ fashioned revolver is not dead, not by a long shot. However, the majority of requests I still get from readers are for articles on semi-auto pistols. My local gun shop has just one display case that is devoted to revolvers – everything else is semi-auto handguns. I recently ran into one great deal on a little known revolver, from Rock Island Armory, and its called the M200. We’ll take a close look at it, in this review.

I honestly never thought I’d reach the age where folks would start calling me an “old timer” – at least when it comes to firearms. Every now and then, the guys at my local gun shop, will show me an older model revolver, and comment that “you old-timers must have carried one of these back in the day…” Well, they aren’t too far off – my mind tells me I’m 27, my body tells me I’m way beyond my mid-60s though. Ugh!

I cut my teeth on revolvers back in the 1960s through 1970s – and somewhat into the early 1980s, when I was doing private security work, private investigations or in law enforcement. There wasn’t a whole lot of choices in reliable ammo for semi-autos back then – a majority of guys who carried semi-auto handguns, were stoking them with FMJ, and that’s the not best ammo for self-defense purposes. As ammo development advanced, so did people carrying semi-auto handguns for self-defense, or other lawful purposes.  I personally didn’t have any problem carrying a 1911 .45 ACP with FMJ ammo – it had been proven to be a very good manstopper over the years in combat. However, many 1911s and other semi-auto handguns just wouldn’t reliably feed JHP or SP ammo back then. Reliability has to be a number one concern with any handgun.Continue reading“Rock Island Armory M200 Revolver, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: A.V.’s South African Melktert

Reader A.V. kindly sent us one of her favorite dessert recipes for a delicious South African Melktert (Milk Tart). It makes 8 servings.  This recipe is broken into two sections: one for the filling, and one for the pastry crust.  This recipe requires the use of a set of ceramic pie weights.

Melktert Filling:

Ingredients
  • 1 quart milk
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 2 large eggs (or 3 small eggs)
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Directions for Making the Melktert Filling

  1. In a heat proof bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, cornstarch, flour and vanilla. Set this aside.
  2. In a medium size saucepan, heat the milk and butter at a medium setting. Do not bring to a rolling boil.
  3. Add about a fourth of the milk to the egg mixture, whisking it to incorporate it evenly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan with the remainder of the milk. Return to heat and stir constantly until it thickens. Do not boil the filling!
  4. Pour the filling into the pastry shell and let cool completely. Refrigerate until served. Sprinkle with cinnamon just before serving.

Melktert Pastry (Shell)

Ingredients
  • 6 ounces of softened butter
  • 2 cups flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • Pinch of salt
  • ¼ teaspoon of almond extract

Directions for Making the Melktert Pastry

  1. Cream the butter and add the sugar. Beat in the egg. Stir in the flour and salt. Knead dough until soft. Chill for 10 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Roll out the dough to standard pie thickness onto a lightly-floured surface and layer it into a greased pie dish. Trim the excess. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and fill up the void with ceramic pie weights. Bake it blind (pre-bake it without any filling) at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and parchment. Let the crust cool completely on a wire rack before filling.

Economics & Investing For Preppers

20

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 SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we turn our attention to collectible cars. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Gold Stays Cold; Silver Gets Sold; Their Ratio Behold!

o  o  o

What Does The New Fed’s Regime Imply For The Gold Price?

Economy & Finance:

The poseurs running the Federal Reserve banking cartel seem to be running out of arrows in their quiver.  They’ve essentially promised no interest rate hikes until 2020. They are hoping that he economy keeps chugging along.  But what if there is a global crisis? They’d have to dramatically lower rates. But they no longer have room to do so. Watch closely folks, as they try to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

o  o  o

Fox News reports: America’s largest cities drowning in debt, with Chicago leading the way, study finds

o  o  o

Toomey: ‘Absolutely painful’ China tariffs may be ‘worth the price’

o  o  o

Next, at Seeking Alpha: U.S. Recession Predictor Sends Warning Signal

o  o  o

And at Wolf Street: Trucking & Rail Shipments Sink as US Goods-Based Sector Slows

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“I believe in freedom, I believe deeply in it. I’ve fought in three wars, and volunteered for all of them, because I believed as a free man, that it was my duty to help those under attack of tyranny. Just as simple as that.” –  Col. Lewis L. Millet (Dec. 15, 1920 – Nov. 14, 2009.) A three war veteran and Medal of Honor recipient in Korea.

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — May 19, 2019

2

On May 19, 1796, the first game law was approved in the United States. The law created penalties for hunting or destroying game within Indian Territory.  Modern American fish and game laws make “living off the land” nearly impossible, outside of Alaska.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 82  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 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 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 Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  6. An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. 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 82 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.

Life in the 12th Century, by Edge

30

The following article may offend some miserable gits with no sense of humour. If you are a miserable git, then you have been warned. Don’t come whining to me.

To envisage a life after electricity, we must look back to a time without it. Most people can think as far back as the American Civil War for a lifestyle but that is modern history with Morse Code (1844), Railways (1804) and Steam Ships (1787) and not where we need to look at all. We need to go right back.

In the 12th century there was a rural population of around 2-3 million in an area of England of over 50,000 square miles and just as in today’s world, most people were in towns and villages.
Imagine the only man-made sound you can hear outside is the church bell.
Your world is at most a 20 mile radius and you never go out of it in your life time just like your father and his father before him. Your sons and daughters are going nowhere as well.

You wash hands and face every morning as well as before and after meals. You wash your feet once a week and maybe have one or two baths a year.

There is no deodorant nor toothpaste let alone mouthwash. I think this is how Country Dancing started with everyone trying to get upwind of each other in a polite manner.Continue reading“Life in the 12th Century, by Edge”