Editors’ Prepping Progress

10

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!

Jim Reports:

I was on the road for more than two weeks, helping an ailing elderly relative. I just returned to the Rawles Ranch yesterday. The only progress that I made toward our prepping was returning with a couple of boxes of citrus that I picked. We’ll eat some of that fresh and juice the rest, and freeze it.

Oh, and I also stopped by a gun shop on my return trip and bought a complete Bravo Company AR upper with a stainless 18″ barrel. I intend to mate that with a spare Palmetto lower. That completed AR will be set aside for the grand-kids. With AR parts prices presently quite low, I consider this the ideal time to complete some gun builds and “stack them deep.”

Avalanche Lily Reports

Dear Readers,
Yahoo, Jim is home! Hallelujah!  It was a very long two plus weeks without him.  I am super glad that you’re back home, Jim!  My beloved hubby!!

This week, I re-rototilled the garden.  I planted the 25 yellow raspberries, 154 potato halves/about 50 pounds of Kennebec potatoes, and over 800 onion bulbs of various types. I still have about forty pounds of red potatoes to plant.  I’m playing that hurry-up and wait on the weather game for planting the rest of the garden.  We had two frosts this past week.  The second frost was really hard. When I saw the truck covered with frost early in that morning, I dashed outside to the garden to hose down the strawberry leaves, rhubarb, and raspberry buds, to melt the frost before the sun hit them.  I think I saved them.  A few more days will tell us the story. I wasn’t expecting the second harder freeze.  This coming weekend we are supposed to get a weather system that could give us snow, and afterwards, drop our temperatures into the high twenties at night.  So it’s been wise that I haven’t planted any thing else out there, but the root crops. The colder temperatures are supposed to last until the end of the first week of May.

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 “JWR”.  Today, we focus on Venezuela’s plight.

Venezuela Plunged Into Anarchy

Peter sent this video link: Venezuela plunged into anarchy. JWR’s Comments: The bottom line for survival: Who is armed, and who is not.  Watching news reports like these underscore why we emphasize firearms ownership and training so much in SurvivalBlog.

A Man Who Fled Cuba Derides Oregon Gun Control

Also from Peter: Man Who Fled Cuba Won’t Stand For Oregon Gun Control Measures.

Iron Edison’s New Lithium Batteries

Iron Edison has announced a new line of Lithium-Iron (LiFe) batteries, available as direct replacements for lead acid batteries. These new “4LiFe ” batteries have an expected cycle life of 7,500+ cycles at 80% depth of discharge.

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

Preparedness Notes for Friday — April 26, 2019

On April 26, 1986, one of the world’s worst nuclear accidents occurred at the Chernobyl plant in the Soviet Union. An explosion and fire in the No. 4 reactor sent radioactivity into the atmosphere; at least 31 Soviet citizens died immediately.

—

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.

Budget Prepper Guns, by Pete Thorsen

54

Preppers can have many reasons to own and many uses for firearms. Hunting would likely be one of the top reasons to own. Security could be a valid reason, for sure. A means to dispatch livestock might be another reason. And just for fun would still be a very valid reason.

There are certainly plenty of firearm options. Firearms have been made for hundreds of years with countless variations. Well cared-for firearms can last for several generations. Personally I have shot guns that were fully functional even though they were hundred and fifty years old. Many guns have been passed down through family members for generations.

With thousands of gun choices, what should a prepper buy? I would start by saying that any quality firearm could be a good choice. And I can guarantee that no matter what guns I would happen to suggest they would be hotly contested by others. And their choices could be correct. We nearly all could be right. Most choices are neither good nor bad; they are just different options.

Let’s look at money first. As a general rule, a quality firearm is at least somewhat expensive. Obviously this is subjective depending on your resources. A $300 gun could be out of reach for some but almost too cheap to consider for others. And how many do you need anyway? And if more than one gun, then  where should I start?Continue reading“Budget Prepper Guns, by Pete Thorsen”

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 various way to make money in reselling retail tangibles–everything from Legos, to sports cars, to whiskey. (See the Tangibles Investing section at the end of this column.)

 

Precious Metals:

Gold: Is $1280 A Floor Or A Sponge?

o  o  o

Silver Shortages are Here and Gold Scarcity Is Coming

Economy & Finance:

What J.B. Hunt Just Said About the U-Turn in Trucking

o  o  o

Audio interview: Martin Armstrong Countdown Has Begun – Prepare For The Coming Reset The Economic System In Apr 2019

o  o  o

Sentiment Speaks: Higher Rates Are Likely Over The Next Few Months

o  o  o

US Is “Japan On A Larger Scale”

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — April 25, 2019

1

Today is the birthday of physicist, inventor, and entrepreneur Guglielmo Marconi (1874–1937). He was known for his pioneering work on long-distance radio transmission as well as for the development of Marconi’s Law and a radio telegraph system. He is often considered the inventor of radio.

—

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.

Coping Without Fresh Meat, by S.A.

21
Introductory Note: This article is not a recipe submission. It’s a feature article about how to cope without abundant fresh meat. It’s first-hand, based on a lifetime of experiences, all tried and tested over the years. I’ve divided it into three parts. Please read through to the end.

Needless to say, “Your Mileage May Vary” and please eat sensibly and pay attention to calories, sufficient protein and fat and carbohydrates intake. Likewise, do not ignore adequate vitamin and mineral requirements (RDAs).

I’m not a doctor, and no medical advice is implied. – S.A.

PART 1

WHEN MEAT IS SCARCE
Who doesn’t love meat?
Well, granted, there are vegetarians among us, but the majority of people adore meat, and our bodies crave it. We often define each meal by the protein source, not a listing of vegetables. Generally, no one says, “We are having green beans tonight.” It’s more likely to be, “Hey, chicken for supper!” But, circumstances can change, and life may not always be so protein rich, with so many grocery store selections.
While this three part article may appear to be just some recipes, my point is to get you and your family used to eating, surviving, enjoying, and thriving on less meat.

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

7

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 focus on the burning of Notre Dame cathedral.

SurvivalBlog Classifieds: Sumus Mortes

First up, I should mention that as of April 30th, we are shutting down the Classified Ads section that we had established, as a test. Even though we quickly revised this section to make the ads mostly free, there wasn’t sufficient participation.  Note that we will still have relatively inexpensive text ad space available in the blog. The text ads are positioned between SurvivalBlog articles and columns.

The Fallacy of Browsing in Incognito Mode

Peter proffered this article: Incognito Mode Won’t Keep Your Browsing Private. Do This Instead.

How Many Sleeper Cells?

Next, over at Zero Hedge: “Sleeper Cells:” 10,000 Illegal Aliens From Terrorist Nations Roam Free In US,  A snippet:

“IRLI revealed last week that it had obtained documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that revealed that the 10,000 illegals have not yet been deported despite having been ordered to leave the country.

The FOIA showed the illegals were from Iran, Syria, Sudan, and North Korea.”

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — April 24, 2019

1

This is the day that the Armenian Genocide began, in 1915. Ottoman (Turk) Muslims slaughtered 1.5 million of their Christian neighbors, intellectuals, and community leaders. The Ottoman government proceeded with multiple phases to round up men in mass executions and drive women and children into the desert on death marches. They also lead the general Muslim citizens to participate in brutal periodic massacres within their communities signaled with the blow of a bugle in a Manchurian candidate-type of manner. It is one of the first modern genocides and serves as a warning for us today.  There are chilling accounts contained in Islam scholar Andrew Bostom’s book, The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War And the Fate of Non-Muslims.

April 24th is also the birthday of Carolyn Cole (born 1961), a well-known staff photographer for the Los Angeles Times.

—

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.

Challenge & Password for The Prepared Family, by A. Jackson

8

One of the best ways to improve your preparedness skills is by adapting military skills to preparedness uses. Today we’re adapting the U.S. Army Common Task of ‘Challenge & Password’ to the needs of the survivalist.

Scenario

Consider the following scenario: About six weeks ago it finally happened, the currency collapsed and since then the security situation has rapidly deteriorated. Crime has begun to run rampant as the populace grows more and more desperate to fill their and their family’s bellies. At some point most of the local police force realized that their entire paycheck couldn’t even buy their family a single loaf of bread and every minute they spent protecting your family was one that put their own at risk. The few police that are reporting for duty can’t adequately keep the security situation from spiraling out of control. You’ve been up the last 20 hours warning strangers away from your home and watching for the friends you expect to come shelter with you for the duration of the difficulties. You pray that they arrive soon because you’re not sure you can stay awake much longer and the moon will soon set… dropping the neighborhood into total darkness now with the rolling blackouts. Finally, you see the outline of three people headed directly for your home…your friends must have picked up another along on the way. It sure looks like Jim and Carol walking in and all you need to do to confirm it is hear their voice, so you call out. “Who’s there?” and receive the expected reply “It’s me.” With great relief you step out from your hide and walk up to greet them you soon discover are strangers. Your last thought before you lose consciousness is: “she sure sounded like Carol.”

Challenge & Password is a one technique used by military forces to recognize friendly forces in hostile environments or while guarding resources. While the need for such a technique when encountering a soldier from an adjacent unit that you haven’t met before is apparent this technique also assists service members in recognizing friendlies in low light and no light situations. You may believe that you will always recognize those you should let in and easily identify hostiles but in reality, it’s very easy for a tired and hopeful mind to ‘see’ what it hopes or expects to see when the reality is something else entirely. Challenge & Password and the other recognition techniques we’ll explore today are meant to verify what your eyes and ears are telling you to ensure that those really are friendlies walking up on your position.Continue reading“Challenge & Password for The Prepared Family, by A. Jackson”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

15

Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on the new movie The Highwaymen. (See the Movies section.)

Books:

This book was recommended by Wendy McElroy: Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder, by Caroline Fraser. The New York Times Book Review described it:

“An absorbing new biography [that] deserves recognition as an essential text…. For anyone who has drifted into thinking of Wilder’s ‘Little House’ books as relics of a distant and irrelevant past, reading Prairie Fires will provide a lasting cure…. Meanwhile, ‘Little House’ devotees will appreciate the extraordinary care and energy Fraser devotes to uncovering the details of a life that has been expertly veiled by myth.”

o  o  o

Reader R.B. suggested the Tier One series of military fiction novels by Andrews & Wilson. (If you buy your books from Amazon with our link, then SurvivalBlog will get a little piece of the action.)

o  o  o

Spearhead: An American Tank Gunner, His Enemy, and a Collision of Lives in World War II

o  o  o

Living the RV Life: Your Ultimate Guide to Life on the Road

 

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

Economics & Investing For Preppers

4

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 discontinued Browning stainless steel guns. (See the Tangibles Investing section at the end of this column.)

 

Precious Metals:

Gold To Peak At $1,400 On Risk Aversion By Year-End — Capital Economics

o  o  o

Gold Price Forecast: Gold Lower Even As Fed Loses Credibility

 

Economy & Finance:

Next up, Global growth to slow in 2019. “The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has downgraded its forecast for global growth in 2019 during what it says is a ‘delicate moment” for the world economy.”

o  o  o

There Is Too Much Debt In The World – World Bank.

o  o  o

House Prices in 12 of California’s Most Expensive Coastal Counties Fell in March from a Year Ago. Here are the Charts

 

The Political-Economic Intersection:

Bernie Sanders announces: OPTIONS TO FINANCE MEDICARE FOR ALL. JWR’s Comments: Note his planned top income tax rate of 52% and “Taxing capital gains and dividends the same as income”. I really hope that this socialist buffoon gets the Democrat Party nomination. With policies like these, he will be unelectable.

o  o  o

Chase Bank shuts down ‘alt-right’ accounts

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”