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 MagPul PMAG magazines. (See the Gear & Grub section.)

Books:

Nation of Cowards: Essays on the Ethics of Gun Control.

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Complete Works O. Henry Authorized Edition 12 Volume Set

 

Movies & Television:

The Korean War – 60th Anniversary Commemorative Documentary Collection

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The second season of the very cleverly-crafted parallel universe television series Counterpart began airing last month on Starz, and will wrap up on Sunday, February 17, 2019. Most of the actors play dual roles–as versions of themselves in modern-day parallel Earths. Warning: Graphic violence and some nudity. Here is the premise of the series, as described at the Infogalactic wiki:

“Howard Silk has been working for a United Nations agency based in Berlin for thirty years; however, his rank is too low for him to be told what his work really involves. In fact, the agency oversees a crossing point to a parallel Earth (the “Prime world”), a copy of Silk’s world. This crossing point was opened or created by East German scientists in 1987 and these two versions of Earth have been diverging ever since.

Silk’s “other” self, his counterpart from the Prime world, is, among other things, a field agent who regularly makes crossings to Silk’s world (the “Alpha world”) to retrieve “others” who have gone rogue. Factional in-fighting in the agency in the Prime world spills over to the Alpha world, endangering Silk and his comatose wife, Emily.”

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

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 SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today’s focus is on the national debt bomb. (See the Economy & Finance section.

Precious Metals:

Millennials And Gold: First A Car, Then A House … And Then Gold

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Large Gold Bullion Shipment Moves From London To Dublin Gold Vaults As Brexit Concerns Deepen

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How Venezuela Turns Its Useless Bank Notes Into Gold

 

Economy & Finance (National Debt Bomb):

Reader G.G. flagged this report at The Hill: Americans Have $1 Trillion Problem. Here is a key quote:  “While large numbers defy comprehension, Americans should try to wrap their minds around the huge sums of money owed on the fastest growing segment of the federal budget. The interest expense on the national debt will hit the $1 trillion mark in a decade then become a consistent $1 trillion outlay each year. While economists generally track spending, revenues, and deficits as a share of gross domestic output, there is something to be said about the sheer magnitude of an annual interest cost of $1 trillion, and the profound effect that a bill of that size would have on the budget.” [Emphasis added]

JWR’s Comments: At this point, the best that we can hope for is to locate ourselves in the most conservative and survivalble states (such as Idaho or Montana) and hope that DC fully implodes in its own debt mess. In the aftermath constitutional conservatives could rebuild a new currency and government that is truly constitutionally-limited. That would mean: Honest, gold-backed money. Zero deficit spending. Term limits. A flat tax. The balance of power returned to the 50 states. Eliminating most Federal agencies.

The chances of that are slim. Ditto for a popular uprising.  The alternative is just witnessing the continuing gradual descent into socialism, social engineering, social credit scores, eugenics via abortion, socialized medicine, civilian disarmament down to just kitchen cutlery and harsh language, a 100%-tracked (and horribly taxed) electronic currency, non-answerable and entrenched politicians-for-life, sovereign states in name only, a top tax rate of 90%, an eventual ban on privately-owned cars, a ubiquitous surveillance state—the whole Nanny State Shebang. So pray hard, folks!

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“It is my opinion, that this kingdom has no right to lay a tax upon the colonies. At the same time I assert the authority of this kingdom over the colonies to be sovereign and supreme in every circumstance of Government and legislation whatsoever. The colonists are the subjects of this kingdom, equally entitled with yourselves to all the natural rights of mankind and the peculiar privileges of Englishmen…The Americans are the sons, not the bastards, of England. Taxation is no part of the governing or legislative power…When, therefore, in this House we give and grant, we give and grant what is our own. But in an American tax, what do we do? We, your Majesty’s Commons for Great Britain, give and grant to your Majesty,—what? Our own property?—No! We give and grant to your Majesty, the property of your Majesty’s Commons of America…The distinction between legislation and taxation is essentially necessary to liberty…There is an idea in some, that the colonies are virtually represented in this House…Is he represented by any knight of the shire, in any county in this kingdom?…Or will you tell him that he is represented by any representative of a borough?—a borough which perhaps its own representatives never saw.—This is what is called the rotten part of the constitution. It cannot continue a century. If it does not drop, it must be amputated…I rejoice that America has resisted. Three millions of people so dead to all the feelings of liberty, as voluntarily to let themselves be made slaves, would have been fit instruments to make slaves of all the rest…The gentleman asks, When were the colonies emancipated? I desire to know when were they made slaves?” – William Pitt, Speech in the House of Commons on the Stamp Act (14 January 1766), quoted in William Pitt, The Speeches of the Right Honourable the Earl of Chatham in the Houses of Lords and Commons: With a Biographical Memoir and Introductions and Explanatory Notes to the Speeches (London: Aylott & Jones, 1848), pp. 71-6.

 

 

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – February 12, 2019

February 12th is the birthday of theologian and journalist Cotton Mather (1663–1728).

—

I’d like to make mention of a new homesteading blog that has been launched by “Hazel” Williamson, the wife of SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson. Hazel’s blog is written with great wit and candor. Therein, she describes the trials and triumphs of raising heritage commercial rabbits for meat. Her current breed of rabbit is the Silver Fox. She also raises poultry. The blog is titled “Hazel’s Bluff Farm & Rabbitry“, and subtitled “Microfarming for Sanity.” Be sure to check it out. I found one January post is a good starting point.

 

Becoming a Savvy Pre-1899 Antique Gun Buyer

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After posting my recent warning about potential passage and enactment of H.R. 8 / S.42 and an interview about this on the Reluctant Preppers podcast, I’ve had several readers and consulting clients contact me.  They’ve been asking these questions:  “How do I actually find pre-1899 cartridge guns in good condition?”, “Where can I find antique guns at reasonable prices?”, and “How do I know what I’m looking at”? Here is my summary on how to get savvy:

1.) Do your research. Visit a local gunsmith and have him show you how to spot a gun that has been reblued. (Blurred patent date markings on barrels are a sure sign of buffing and rebluing. And recently-reblued guns literally have the distinctive smell of bluing salts.) Have him describe how to spot and test for revolvers that have been “shot loose.” Also research your state law before you buy anything. A few states treat antique guns just like modern ones. Research the pre-1899 gun makers. Develop a list of makers and cartridge chamberings that makes sense for your locale.

2.) As a prepper, you should probably shun most oddball-chambered guns, unless you are already an experienced handloader and have a ready supply of brass. Some sure picks include: .30-30 Winchester (“.30 W.C.F.”), .25-35 Winchester, .30-40 Krag, .303 British, .45-70, 6.5 Swedish Mauser, 7×57 Mauser, .38 S&W, .44-40, and .45 Colt (commonly but incorrectly called .45 Long Colt).

Continue reading“Becoming a Savvy Pre-1899 Antique Gun Buyer”

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 Surplus Dealers in the American Redoubt. (Military, government, and commercial surplus.)

Idaho

I’ll start out with a mention of Army Surplus 1. Their great store in Sandpoint, Idaho was surely the inspiration for the fictional “Grogan’s War Surplus” in the humorous novels by the late Patrick McManus.

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Idaho Surplus Warehouse, in Idaho Falls, is well-known and trusted. They have mountains of surplus!

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And for vehicles, there is Idaho Motor Pool, in Fruitland, Idaho.

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Idaho woman accidentally grabs mountain lion during attempt to break up ‘dog fight’

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Multiple businesses destroyed as fire rips through downtown Sandpoint.

 

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 “JWR”.  Today, we focus on how SurvivalBlog has been shadow banned.

Pills to Protect Against an Apocalypse

A short but fairly accurate piece was recently posted over at The New York Times: Potassium iodide offers limited protection to those exposed to a Chernobyl-type disaster. Every family should have some on hand.  But keep in mind that they only protect against one form of cancer and not any other radiation effects. Several of our advertisers stock them.

SurvivalBlog Has Been Shadow Banned by Google

I ran some tests and found that search engines are now actively shadow banning SurvivalBlog via manipulation of  their search results. Searches at Google.com on words like “survival”, “preparedness”, “food storage”, “disaster readiness”, “prepping”, and so forth all are now de-emphasizing SurvivalBlog. Instead of showing up near the top of the first page of search results as we once did, SurvivalBlog now often shows up on Page 2–where it is often overlooked by newbies. This shadow banning was done despite the fact that we are still consistently posting daily original content, and are considered one of the very best sources of information on preparedness.

In an attempt to “play the game” in the search engine world, we changed a few things. This was in hopes of maintaining at least a marginal position in search engine results. This included adding a comments section, and adding photos or other illustrations atop each article and column. Without those, we would probably no longer  be visible at all. Meanwhile, in the Social Media world, it is only at the conservative FreeZoxeeFriends site that we get any coverage. (Note: I refuse to get a personal Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter account.)

Bottom line: We are not going to “win” in the now overtly-politicized search engine world, or in the social media world. Doing so would mean making too many compromises to our integrity. They have declared war on SurvivalBlog and have certainly shadow banned us. But they can’t stop the signal!  We need to run an Internet guerilla campaign to remain visible and viable. Please share SurvivalBlog articles you’ve enjoyed with your family and friends, by e-mailing them links. Encourage them to bookmark and visit SurvivalBlog. And for those of you that do use Social Media: Please post links to SurvivalBlog articles that you have enjoyed reading.  Lastly, please consider putting a mention of SurvivalBlog in your e-mail signature footer. Thank you!

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“A soul so pitiably forlorn,
If such do on this earth abide,
May season apathy with scorn,
May turn indifference to pride;
And still be not unblest—compared
With him who grovels, self-debarred
From all that lies within the scope
Of holy faith and Christian hope;
Or, shipwrecked, kindles on the coast
False fires, that others may be lost.” – William Wordsworth, To the Lady Fleming, st. 7 (1823)

CRKT Maven Folder, by Pat Cascio

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The nice folks at Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT) sent me their Maven folder for testing. That is a strange name for a folding knife, “Maven”. It means someone who is an expert in their field, or who has acquired expert knowledge. The Maven folder was designed by Richard Rogers.

Richard Rogers is a working cattle rancher in Magdalena, New Mexico. His toughest critic is probably himself, and when he set out to design a no-frills folding knife, he kept this in mind – keep it simple, yet functional. Simple is always better if you ask me – less to go wrong.

The Specs

Let’s take a look at the specs on this folder, before we get into the meat of things. For the Maven CRKT used the IKBA ball bearing pivot system, so this knife opens smooth as smooth can be. It does not have a thumb stud, instead it uses the proven flipper opening – very fast. I absolutely love the contoured G10 handle scales, G10 used to be used almost exclusively by custom knife makers – it was expensive material – still is, for the most part. The 3.684-inch blade is made out of 8Cr13MoV stainless steel – a material that holds an edge fairly decently, and helps keep the cost of the knife down quite a bit. The blade is also bead blasted for a subdued look – very attractive. The knife weighs in at 4.8 ounces, but feels lighter than that. When closed it has an overall length of a little over 4.5-inches. Locking mechanism is accomplished by a locking liner.

A lot, and I mean, a lot of knives pass through my hands each year, for testing. Some I don’t bother testing or reporting on – because it is very obvious they are junk – I won’t waste my time, or our readers’ time, reporting on junk products, simple as that. Over the past 27 years, I must have had several thousand knives pass through my hands, so I have a fairly good idea of a quality knife and a good design. I’m not bragging in the least, but you get the feel for what is good and what is junk. I’m also a part-time knife designer myself, so I know the effort that goes into designing a knife.Continue reading“CRKT Maven Folder, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Avalanche Lily’s Eggless Ginger Snap Cookies

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Avalanche Lily’s Eggless Ginger Snap Cookies

This recipe is one of our fairly quick and easy favorites, here at the Rawles Ranch.

Ingredients

1 Cup Flour (we usually use white flour)
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
3/4 tsp Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Softened Butter
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Dark Molasses
1/2 Tbsp Water

Later:
2 Tbsp White Sugar (to coat the unbaked cookies)

Directions

First, thoroughly mix all of the dry ingredients and spices EXCEPT the sugars into a “Flour Mixture”
Mix softened butter with the sugars and beat with a whisk until fluffy
Add the Molasses and Water. Then beat the mixture again.
Add the Flour Mixture, and hand mix with a large wooden chef’s spoon, to form a dough.

Chill the bowl of dough in the refrigerator at least one hour, until firm.

Ball up tablespoon-sized balls of dough. Roll them in white sugar to lightly coat them.

Place the balls, just slightly-flattened on a non-stick cookie sheet, at wide intervals

Bake in a 350 F. oven for 12 to 14 minutes.

Variations

You can substitute 1/4 Cup of the creamy part of a can of coconut milk for the 1/4 Cup butter, for those who can’t use dairy products.

The dough can be kept in the refrigerator overnight, since it is not leavened.

Serving Suggestions

These are best enjoyed still warm from the oven. However, you can allow these to air and dry overnight, for use as trail or lunch bag snacks.  The longer that they dry (in a dry climate), the snappier the snaps. If you live in a humid climate, then you may need to use your dehydrator, set to 150 degrees for 3+ hours.

 

Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:

Here is a link to a traditional ginger snap recipe that does use eggs.

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And here is a link to an extra spicy ginger snap recipe.

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? Please send it via e-mail. Thanks!

 

 

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 SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today’s focus is on Monthly Precious Metals Purchases. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

I’ll start today with a couple of vicariously fun video links from circulating silver coin hunters: Epic Half Dollar Roll Hunt: Walkers, Franklins, and Silver Kennedy Halves!

and,

Silver Sunday! Coin Roll Hunting Half Dollars! Most Amazing Coin Roll Hunt Ever!

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From chartist Hub Moolman: This Will Confirm The Gold Bull Market

 

Economy & Finance:

Wolf Richter recently posted this: New Trucks are Hot, Prices Surge. But Cars Face Carmageddon. And Total Sales Fall

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“No Need To Be Pessimistic” – World’s Biggest Pension Fund Suffers Record Collapse In Q4

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Charles Hugh Smith opines about inflation: Brace for Impact

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World’s largest pension fund loses $136 billion

Here is a key passage:

“According to the World Economic Forum, pension funds around the world are short around $70 TRILLION. State, federal and local pensions in the US are $7 trillion short… and a recent report by Boston College estimates 25% of private US pensions will go broke in the next decade.

This is all happening because investment returns have been too low.

Pension funds need to earn about 8% per year to meet their obligations. And they traditionally do that with a conservative mix of bonds and stocks.

But with interest rates near the lowest levels ever, it’s impossible for pension funds to achieve that 8% with their usual tools (over the past year, they’ve only been earning around 5.5%).

So they’re getting desperate…”

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“We must not permit our respect for the dead or our sympathy for the living to lead us into an act of injustice to the balance of the living. I will not attempt to prove that Congress has no power to appropriate this money as an act of charity. Every member upon this floor knows it. We have the right as individuals to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of congress we have no right to appropriate a dollar of the public money.” – Davy Crockett

Preparedness Notes for Sunday – February 10, 2019

February 10th is the birthday of Zvi Zvika Greengold (born 1952), a Centurion tank commander who was one of Israel’s most notable heroes of the Yom Kippur War. He was awarded the country’s highest military honor, the Medal of Valor

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 81 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 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 81 ends on March 28th, 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.

New Zealand: Thoughts After Seven Years, Part 4, by Nivek

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Part 4

 

Taxes, everybody’s favorite topic

New Zealand has a top tax rate of 33%. Okay, you think that’s not bad, the U.S. is right up there also. Well the trouble is you get to the 33% much faster as there are only three tax brackets. Making over $65,000 NZ Dollars per year will get you into the top bracket. That’s around $50,000 US Dollars. There are no deductions for a private person and you don’t get credit for kids or being married. The way around this seems to involve having a business and taking deductions through the business. You will most likely need the services of an accountant to keep in line with the tax laws.

On the consumer spending side of things, the 15% Goods and Services Tax (GST) is built into the purchase of any items in the store. What you see on the price tag is what you actually pay at the checkout.

If you have U.S. income and you earn income in New Zealand it then becomes even more complicated. You will need to file taxes in both countries and so far I find that I come out on the short end of the stick. It is far less complicated to only work in New Zealand and have no income from the United States.

Utility Costs

Electric rates are quite high here. Most of the electricity is from hydro power and also quite a bit from wind generation. There are some areas in the country with piped gas. You also can use bottled gas if you choose but it ends up costing more than electricity. Most New Zealand people have one or two warm rooms and the remaining portions of the house have minimal heat. Many of the older homes lack insulation but the government is trying to remedy that with programs to help with the cost of insulating older homes. Newer built homes do not have this problem but they also take a different approach on home heating.

Continue reading“New Zealand: Thoughts After Seven Years, Part 4, by Nivek”