Editors’ Prepping Progress

7

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. Steadily, we work on meeting our prepping goals. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities. They also often share their planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, property improvements, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

JWR

Dear SurvivalBlog Readers:

We had another pleasant week here at the Rawles Ranch. We had one last turkey to butcher for this month–this one for our own consumption for our family Thanksgiving celebration.  She was a 28-pound hen and a pain to pluck–especially her big flight feathers. But she sure was tasty. And it is nice knowing precisely how she was raised and fed. That is true for more than 90% of the meat that we eat, here at the ranch. We raise it ourselves, and hence we know exactly what we are eating.

Two of our adult children came with their spouses and our grandchildren in tow, to stay for a couple of nights, over Thanksgiving. That was very pleasant. We miss seeing them more often, but they have homeschooling, social lives, work, and church homes of their own to attend to, these days.

We hope that everyone is enjoying a restful four-day Thanksgiving weekend! We have a lot to be thankful for!  May God Bless America! – Jim & Avalanche Lily, Rawles

 

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

28

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”. As winter begins to set in, our thoughts turn towards heat. There is an article on a wood stove competition today that is very interesting.

WD-40 Defense

Reader T.J. sent in this video of a store clerk using the super secret WD-40 defense when he was threatened. This obviously occurs in some area where firearms are forbidden because the would-be robbers only have hand tools to threaten the clerk with and the clerk grabs the nearest thing to defend himself which happens to be a can of WD-40 lubricant. The move befuddles the attackers who eventually give up and leave. The takeaway here is that the clerks attitude was obviously the difference and the real reason why the attackers left. I can’t help but wonder how much more effective that can of WD-40 would have been when combined with one of those cheap Bic lighters also usually found on the counters at convenience stores.

Social Media

Reader M.P. sent in this article on Fox News detailing yet another reason why you really don’t want a presence on social media. As if buying a gun in New York didn’t already require ridiculous hoops to jump through, proposed legislation in the State would require a purchaser to consent to up to three years worth of search history on social media to gain approval of an application. The proposed legislation would also be applied to those who are renewing existing permits to carry or possess a pistol or revolver. Things specifically looked for would be commonly known profane slurs or biased language used to describe race, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, disability or sexual orientation as well as threatening the health or safety of another person, or acts of terrorism.

While identifying potential terrorist seems worth it for some, the language about gender, religion or sexual orientation is incredibly disturbing. Does that mean if you are a Christian preaching against the sin of homosexuality that you can no longer qualify for a permit? It also seems to be pretty arbitrary on who makes the decision of what is dangerous or offensive. I suspect this bill will be challenged on constitutional grounds.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:  I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.” – Genesis 32:9-12 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday – November 23, 2018

On November 23rd, 1980, a 7.2-magnitude quake struck southern Italy killing more than 3,000 people. The casualty toll was probably so high because the tremor struck during Sunday night mass, as many residents sat in churches that crumbled in the quake. The quake was centered in Eboli, south of Naples. In nearby Balvano, children were preparing to receive their first communion at the 1,000-year-old Conza Della Comapgna church. The church was demolished and killed dozens of people, including 26 children.

o o o

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

This has been another entry for Round 79 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. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  6. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

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 79 ends on November 30th, 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.

Cape Town, South Africa- TEOTWAWKI, by Greg

39

It was a sunny Friday afternoon with a still wind when the end of the world as we know it happened. No, there was no nuclear explosion overhead, no EMP, no invasion from Russia, and no alien landing.

A Disaster in the Making

Mother nature provided the scene for this disaster. Cape Town South Africa is a place of beauty and home to one of the seven natural wonders of the world– the cape floral kingdom. It’s known as a peaceful holiday town and popular venue for film stars and the rich and famous alike. Who would have suspected that there was a disaster in the making?

A Unique Climate Zone

The Western Cape of South Africa is in a unique climatic zone. we receive winter rainfall similar to the Mediterranean countries. Rainfall is abundant in the winter, and lakes and dams are full by spring. Water supply is always plentiful, and summers are spent enjoying various water sports and barbecues over the weekend.

Disaster Strikes

During the winter of 2016, El Niño built in the southern oceans, rainfall was a little less than normal, and dam levels dropped to uncomfortable levels. Nobody paid attention to this, and the political situation in South Africa continued its steady decline into a banana republic. At that time, Cape Town, with its provincial government being the only honest well-run local government, was doing a good job of maintaining services, keeping business going, and stimulating job creation.

All the things Cape Town was doing were good in a normal working economy. Unfortunately, South Africa is not a normal economy. The rampant corruption, with the State capture and looting of the fiscus, had led to most provinces being bankrupt and services falling apart.

Continue reading“Cape Town, South Africa- TEOTWAWKI, by Greg”

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 JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on the bearish stock market. (See the Stocks section.)

 

Precious Metals:

This week was a short holiday week of trading on the Comex.  By the Tuesday close, spot gold was up 0.37%, while silver was essentially flat.

o  o  o

This Miner Switched From Gold To Battery Metals, Here’s Why

o  o  o

Metals Focus: Record Palladium Prices Won’t Lead To Supply Surge

 

Economy & Finance:

Mortgage rates slide the fastest in four years, but it may be too late for the housing market

o o o

Video: China’s Bike-Sharing Disaster

 

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday – November 22, 2018

5

Today is remembered as the birthday of the late Eugene M. Stoner. (Born 1922, died April 24, 1997.) He was the designer of the AR-7, AR-10, AR-15, AR-180, the Stoner 63, and several other firearms. (The AR-10 was the basis of the AR-15 which in turn spawned the very widely used M16 and all of its variants including the M4 Carbine). It has been estimated that as many as 3.7 million rifles from the AR-15 family are owned by civilians in the United States, and military production M16 variants well exceeds 8 million rifles.

o o o

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

This has been another entry for Round 79 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. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  6. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

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 79 ends on November 30th, 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.

Beware the PAN!, by D.D. in Virginia

34

A PAN can be a co-worker, a friend, a family member, or someone you just met. They are not distinguishable by age, gender, race, or religion. In our current reality, interactions with a PAN can be mildly frustrating, or at worst, extremely annoying. However, during a SHTF situation, a PAN could be the prime threat to you and the lives of everyone in your survival group.

Passive-Aggressive Narcissists

What is a PAN? Experts in the field of psychology have named them “passive-aggressive narcissists” (PANs). We, the regular folks, use nomenclature that is more recognizable. We call them “know-it-alls”.

Seemingly No Subject Can Confound Them

We are all familiar with this person. Politics, religion, marriage, automobiles, economics, geopolitical affairs, firearms, horticulture, nutrition, and higher education are just a small sample of the topics that fall within their self-professed wheelhouse. From astrophysics to zebra mating habits, there is seemingly no subject that can confound them, or so they would have you believe.

Attempts To Avoid Them Prove Futile

You try to avoid them at work, at school, or at the range, but those attempts usually prove futile. They appear like a black hole in Aisle 9 of the hardware store or near the buffet table at a church picnic, waiting to suck you over the edge of their event horizon.

What was supposed to be a quick trip for a paintbrush or a dash for more potato salad has just gone terribly wrong. Your polite nature has left you exposed. Three hours later, with drool dripping from your chin and a twitch developing under your right eye, you now know the entire history of the wood screw, the migration patterns of the red-breasted warbler, and how #2 pencils are made.

Continue reading“Beware the PAN!, by D.D. in Virginia”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

21

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”. JWR discovers a great sale from Palmetto State Armory on their Black Friday list. You might want to get in on this one given the current political atmosphere in congress.

Your CPAP is a Spy

Reader DSV sent in this article. Driven mostly by Insurance mandates, your CPAP machine is spying on you and reporting to the manufacturer. I can kind of understand the Insurance rules I guess. Many people who are prescribed a CPAP can’t get used to wearing the device for a number of reasons and it gets relegated to the closet. Insurance companies are now mandating that patient rent the machine for the first few months and only when the machine verifies that they are using it will the company pay for it. The problem comes in how that data is collected. Rather than have your doctor verify usage, the machine reports to the manufacturer who then shares that data with your doctor, the insurance company and often marketing companies since you have to have supplies for it.

It’s not a comforting thought as I believe the only one that should have that data is you and your doctor. I have a CPAP and had these same rules applied. Once the compliance was certified, I yanked the reporting module from the machine. Sadly, some newer machines can’t be disabled like that. Actually, once you understand how they work, you can manage your own CPAP very effectively. I recommend The Apnea Board for programming manuals and help with your machine.

Light without Power

Reader G.S. sent in this article on 11 ways to light your home when the power goes out. There are no astounding insights in this article and all of these methods are most likely familiar to most of our readers, but it’s a good primer for beginners. They pretty much cover everything from flashlights to glow sticks. Some methods are more useful than others and the intended use is also important. Having light to read by is different that having enough light to not bump into furniture in the darkness.

Personally, I value kerosene/oil lamps (and propane lamps) near the bottom of the list. They put out plenty of light, but the hassle of using them just isn’t worth it for me. I tend to favor LED flashlights and area lamps with rechargeable batteries. I’ve never been caught without a flashlight because I think we literally have a hundred of them in one form or another around here, but in a pinch Mrs. Latimer’s solar garden lamps would be enough for just about anything except reading.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment — that which they cannot anticipate.” – Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – November 21, 2018

On November 21, 1916, Britannic, the sister ship to the Titanic, sank in the Aegean Sea, killing 30 people. In the wake of the Titanic disaster, the White Star line had made significant modifications to the design of the ship, but on its way to pick up wounded soldiers near the Gulf of Athens, it was rocked by an explosion causing even more damage than that which had sunk the Titanic. Many of the dead were from some of the crew who attempted to launch life boats while the Captain tried to run the ship aground. The life boats were sucked up into the propellers, killing all of those on board. The cause of the explosion is still unknown, but many suspect it hit a mine.

Lex Mala, Lex Nulla and Some Drama

53

The new crop of congresscritters of the 116th Congress will be seated on January 3, 2019. The Democrat Party has regained its majority, and now we can only look on with dread anticipation at their follies. Be forewarned: The whole concept of their being our elected representatives and actually harkening to the will of the electorate is something that seems quite foreign and antique to them. They no longer make even the pretense of genuine representation. They are headed to DC with an agenda. Their stated plan to topple Nancy Pelosi from her Speaker of the House position is indicative of their fervor. This, before they’ve even been through their freshman orientation! Clearly, the statists want to pass a lot of bad laws, and they will do anything and everything in their power to make that happen. If they have to cheat, lie, wheedle, posture, pontificate, cajole, prevaricate, threaten, bribe, or blackmail their peers to make it so, then surely they will. That is how 21st Century Democrats and their RINO Fifth Columnist pals operate.

We must face the sad fact that the U.S.House of Representatives once again has a Democrat majority. In addition to a long parade of contrived congressional investigations of the Trump administration, the Democrats are planning to ramrod numerous pieces of civilian disarmament legislation through committee to the House floor. They’ll start by reviving moribund pieces of legislation that had previously died in committee. Even Dianne Feinstein’s proposed “Assault Weapons” ban will probably come up for a floor vote. (Believe me: The only “assault” going on will be a an assault on our individual liberty!)

A word of warning: If they cannot pass these laws individually, then they will bundle them up into omnibus legislation packages, hoping to get them enacted by default or by inattention. Under the guise of “common sense gun control laws”, they will attempt to remove an entire class of firearms from production or importation for civilian ownership. I also expect them to bundle a national “Red Flag” gun seizure (aka Extreme Risk Protection Order) bill into an omnibus “gun control” legislation package.

Continue reading“Lex Mala, Lex Nulla and Some Drama”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

2

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 JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on sources for antique radios. (See the Tangibles Investing section.

Precious Metals:

Precious metals, stocks, and cryptos were ALL down today.  Apparently the institutional investors are all running for the exit doors.  Cash is presently king.

o  o  o

Trade War Concerns And Higher Interest Rates Dominate Market Sentiment

 

Stocks & Bonds:

Another ugly day on Wall Street! At today’s close, the DJIA was at 24,465.64 This down -551.80 points or 2.21% for the day.  Ouch! Meanwhile, the S&P 500 dropped 49 points, closing at 2,642. That was 1.8% loss for the day.  This is becoming a fear-driven market. Beware!

o o o

Tech’s ‘FAANG’ stocks have lost more than $1 trillion and counting from highs amid tech rout

 

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

4

Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on URGI rifles. (See both the Instructional Videos section and the Gear section.)

Books:

Gunsmithing the AR-15, The Bench Manual

o  o  o

Gunsmithing (Stackpole Classic Gun Books).  A reprint of the classic Roy Dunlap book.

 

 

Instructional Videos (URGI Rifles):

This new video by Garand Thumb is interesting: Geissele URGI: The New Army Special Forces Rifle.

o  o  o

Hickok45: How NOT To Carry a Colt Single Action Army

 

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