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”. Today, JWR is filling in, while HJL completes the rebuild of our primary server. (We suffered a hacker attack on Sunday, January 6th.)  Today we feature some advice on tuning up tube radios.

Poor WSJ Fact Checking on Gun Ownership

The Wall Street Journal published a quite poorly-written article on Monday. It was titled: Gun Use Surges in Europe, Where Firearms Are Rare. To start, I should mention that is is gun ownership that is surging. So even the headline was poorly-worded. The author, Valentina Pop, is a Romanian journalist who is based in Brussels, Belgium. She really needs to learn about firearms and get her facts straight. Among other things, she calls tear gas dispensing guns “firearms”, and seems to want to include them in firearms ownership statistics. Let me make this clear: These tear gas “guns” are not much more than toys. They first became popular in western Europe beginning in the 1950s.  Europeans have bought them out of desperation, to provide some meager form of self defense against street crime.  Licensed modern cartridge handguns are largely banned outside of the VERY limited ownership (by a small fraction of the population) and use only at shooting club facilities. So most western Europeans have no effective means of self defense.

The included chart showing the number of registered firearms versus the number of “firearms offenses” in Germany is misleading and only suits the world view of statists.  This because the #1 “firearms offense” is unlicensed ownership of a firearm, in country with a universal licensing requirement. Read between the lines folks: What this chart is really showing us is that street crime and hooliganism in Germany is now so bad that everyday citizens are willing to face prosecution, to arm themselves.

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

Kershaw Concierge, by Pat Cascio

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Kershaw knives never ceases to amaze me with the seemingly unlimited folding knife designs they come out with. Today we’re checking out the new Concierge folder, and it’s a slick one for every day carry.

Folding Knives

I’ve been carrying folding knives since I was about five or six years old. When I was growing up in Chicago, just about every kid carried a folder of some kind. We didn’t get into knife fights, either. It was just a tool as far as we were concerned. We also played a game called mumbly peg. I’m not sure what the point was, other than to see if your knife would stick in the dirt or something like that. We also would sit on the front stoop and whittle on an old piece of wood. My grandfather taught me that to pass the time of day. It was fun, period! Today’s kids are too busy with video games to take time to whittle on an old piece of wood just to enjoy passing the time of day. It’s too bad!

School

Today, if you are a kid in school, there is probably a prohibition against carrying a pocket knife. Many school districts will expel you for a year for carrying a weapon. Sheesh, folks, get over it. A knife is a tool, first and foremost. Furthermore, in rural communities, many kids, especially those high school aged, live on farms and ranches and have morning chores they need to do before heading off to school. Quite often a chore will call for the use of a pocket knife. These kids have to do a delicate balancing act of remembering to leave their knife at home before heading to school or chance getting expelled for having the knife in their pocket. It shouldn’t be this way!

Continue reading“Kershaw Concierge, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: CrockPot Spicy Brisket, by F.M.

Ingredients:

  • 3 lbs lean beef brisket
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 sliced onion
  • 1 stalk of chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup chili sauce (catsup consistency)
  • 1 can of beer

Directions:

  1. Place beef in a slow-cooking pot.
  2. Add salt, pepper, onion, celery, and chili sauce. Pour Beer over all.
  3. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or until tender.
  4. Remove beef from pot and slice.
  5. Skim the fat off of the juices and serve with the meat.

Makes 5 to 6 servings.

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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 the Fed’s QE Unwind. (See the Economy & Finance section.)

Precious Metals:

Gold Bounces Off Lows Following ‘Dovish’ Comments From Powell

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Cliff Droke: Gold’s Safety Factor Kicks Into High Gear

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Wall St., Main St. Bullish On Gold Despite Jobs Data

 

Economy & Finance (Fed’s QE Unwind):

At Wolf Street: Fed’s Balance Sheet Reduction Reaches $402 Billion. Here is a quote: “The QE unwind has started to rattle some nerves. For the past two months, the sound of wailing and gnashing of teeth about the Fed’s QE unwind has been deafening. The Fed started the QE unwind in October 2017. As I covered it on a monthly basis, my ruminations on how it would unwind part of the asset-price inflation and Bernanke’s “wealth effect” that had resulted from QE were frequently pooh-poohed. They said that the truly glacial pace of the QE unwind was too slow to make any difference; that QE had just been a “book-keeping entry,” and that therefore the QE unwind would also be just a book-keeping entry; that QE had never caused any kind of asset price inflation in the first place, and that therefore the QE unwind would not reverse that asset-price inflation, or whatever.

But in October last year, when all kinds of markets started reversing this asset price inflation, suddenly, the QE unwind got blamed, and the Fed – particularly Fed Chairman Jerome Powell – has been put under intense pressure to cut it out.”

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Millions could face severe cuts to food stamps due to government shutdown

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And at Bloomberg: Markets Signal 2019 Focus Will Be Fed’s Balance-Sheet Unwind

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Sunday – January 06, 2019

Today is the birthday of musician Earl Scruggs, (1924-2012)

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

This has been another entry for Round 80 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 80 ends on January 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.

A Deep Well Pump Jack: Vital Part of Water System, by R.M.

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Water is vital, so being prepared with multiple layers of backup make sense. A deep well pump jack is one way to have your cake and eat it too when a deep well is part of your water supply using the lowly pump jack.

Pump Jack Can Pump Deep Well By Many Power Methods

There are both advantages and disadvantages to use of a pump jack, but the greatest advantage by far is that you can power your deep well pump by many different electrical and non-electric methods. It can be powered by:

  • the grid,
  • a back up power system (generator or inverter of almost any size),
  • DC direct from solar panels (even better is adding a linear current booster),
  • by stationary bicycle, or
  • in a pinch you, can even pump water by hand.

How We Set Up Our Water System

There are multiple possible configurations, but here is how we set up our water system that incorporates a deep well with multiple back ups. I’m also including a link to another method where you can have a traditional deep well centrifugal pump in addition to using a pump jack in the same well.

When We Purchased Our Homestead 35 Years Ago

When we purchased our homestead, about 35 years ago, the only water supply was the river that crosses the far corner of the farm. A well was desired and was the eventual goal, but we had limited options. Money was tight and solar options were both very expensive and still in their infancy. Grid power was going to take time to develop as well.

At first we used a trash pump to pump from the river to a tank on the back of a farm wagon. This gave us water for all but drinking. This arrangement was adequate to water the animals and garden, but it was a hassle any way you look at it. It was the most immediate way for us to have water where we needed it.

Continue reading“A Deep Well Pump Jack: Vital Part of Water System, by R.M.”

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”. There is an interesting article today on toughening up America.

Build the Wall

When we last checked on Saturday night, the GoFundMe campaign for the border wall had reached over $29,270,216. The new Democrat controlled House needs to pay attention during this government shutdown. The people really want this wall. Here’s hoping Trump stays strong over the issue.

Asset Forfeiture in Texas

The numbers are in. The Texas law enforcement agencies made more than $50 million in 2017 from seizing people’s property. While some law enforcement leaders say civil asset forfeiture is a necessary tool for fighting crime, it’s clear that the whole process is being abused. Law enforcement has found this to be an effective tool to fund their operations and they don’t seem to really care about truth anymore. It’s all about the bottom line. What started as a program with the intention of making sure crime doesn’t pay has now turned into a lucrative substitute for money that they can’t access through taxes. In fact, unlike taxes, the harder they work at it, the more lucrative it is. I guess truth and innocence only matter in some cases. Thanks to reader H.L. for the link.

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

Preparedness Notes for Saturday – January 05, 2019

January 5th is the birthday of the late John Pugsley (born 1934, died April 8, 2011), libertarian and economics author. Pugsley was well known in preparedness circles as the author of The Alpha Strategy. (The book is out of print, but a PDF is available for free download.)

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 80 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 80 ends on January 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.

American Has Never Been So Divided…Or Has It?, by VEY

66

There have been only two wars truly fought on American soil– the Civil War and the American Revolution. Both wars were preceded by strong internal conflict– the Abolitionists vs. State Sovereignty in the Civil War, and the Patriots vs. the Loyalists in the Revolutionary War.

Sparks of Internal Conflict

Yet while those internal conflicts were certainly fierce, there have always been sparks of internal conflict. Why do some sparks ignite a crisis while others smolder out?

Historical Patterns

The answer, I believe, lies in a series of historical patterns outlined that may be crucial in predicting whether our current political divide will lead to our third great war.

The First Historical Pattern

The first historical pattern was brilliantly laid out by William Strauss and Neil Howe in their book, The Fourth Turning. The core idea is that our nation’s major events happen within a 100-year cycle that generally repeats itself. The cycle has four “seasons”, each lasting roughly 25 years, which is the length of a generation. These include:

  1. The High
  2. The Awakening
  3. The Unraveling
  4. The Crisis

Continue reading“American Has Never Been So Divided…Or Has It?, by VEY”

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

This week was a fairly typical winter week at the Rawles Ranch. The daily routine of small and large livestock chores was largely without incident. We leave a light on 24 hours a day in our poultry house every winter. This keeps our hens happy and laying. For the past few weeks we’ve been collecting an average of 10 eggs a day.

At mid-week, we made the long semi-annual drive to Costco to stock up. This time of year, that is a nearly a three hour drive, each way. I also took the opportunity to visit a family-run gun shop, in the same city. With the Trump Slump, the owner was willing to dicker a bit. Using cash, I bought a lot of extra magazines for investment or eventual barter. I will sleep a little better, knowing that I’m well-stocked on magazines. With Angry Democrats now in control of the U.S. House of Representatives, it is best to err on the side of caution. Stack those magazines deep, folks! Someday you may be very glad that you bought them at Commodity prices instead of Panic prices.

Our daughters have been doing more baking than usual. They recently made several loaves of delicious bread, using a mix of hand-ground flour from our stored wheat, and some commercial white flour from the big Costco sacks that we store in 7-gallon food grade Super Pails. Next, they plan to experiment baking poppy seed muffins. That should be fun. And they always like to make chocolate chip cookies. There is nothing better than a fresh-from-the-oven warm chocolate chip cookie for dessert on a winter’s night.

– Jim & Avalanche Lily, Rawles

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”.

Redefining Assault Weapons

“Assault Weapons” isn’t actually a class of arms- It’s an entirely political term usually used by the military to describe small arms used by them. Sometimes, it means select-fire, sometimes it means short barreled semi-auto or it can mean any number of things that civilians can’t own. But since it’s not a real class of arms, politicians have decided that they can make it mean whatever they want. This week a ballot initiative took effect in Washington that defined pretty much every semi-automatic rifle as an “assault weapon” and made it illegal for anyone under 21 to buy. Remember the old saying…”First they came for…”? Well, now their coming for yours. Thanks to GG for the link.

Collecting Water From Air

Reader DSV sent in this article on some research being done to further the idea of collecting water from the humidity in the air. There are some small inefficient products on the market already, but further research is being done in this area in the hopes of producing clean water on a large scale. Examples abound of nature using this tactic to keep animals and plants adapted to semi-arid deserts alive and the research is aimed at mimicking these processes. Who knows, maybe one day you won’t have to have a well in these areas.

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