The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” – Romans 7:21-25 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday – October 14, 2017

The Cuban Missile Crisis began on October 14, 1962, bringing the United States and the Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear conflict. Photographs were taken by a high-altitude U-2 spy plane and offered incontrovertible evidence that Soviet-made medium-range missiles were in Cuba. These missiles were capable of carrying nuclear warheads and were stationed 90 miles off the American coastline.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 73 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 $1,090 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, and
  8. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

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 transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  8. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

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,
  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), and

Round 73 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.

Stalking the Night- Part 1, by Mark B.

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I remember as a young man I spent a considerable amount of time hiking, backpacking, and camping in the mountains, usually by myself. Getting away from it all and honing my skills of self-reliance at the same time has always appealed to me. Maybe it is something, on a primal level, relating back to my cave man ancestry.

Senses Go Into Overdrive

It has been my experience that anytime you are completely alone that your awareness and senses go into overdrive, bombarding you with all sorts of new stimuli. At times, this can become overwhelming, and I would be lying if I stated that I have never had the hair on the back of my neck stand up when I was deep in the woods all by myself.

Continue reading“Stalking the Night- Part 1, by Mark B.”

The Editors’ Preps for the Week

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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 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,

This week, while celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles, things have been fairly quiet at the Rawles Ranch.  Most of the week was devoted to homeschooling.

Jim completed assembling a couple of AR-15 PDW-style pistols, using 11.5″ 5.56mm Wylde chamber barrels, Franklin BFS-III binary triggers, and Maxim arm braces. He also added a few more bits to his KDG Optics Hub spotter’s tripod. (That is turning into a multi-month project. This has been slow, in part because we are bidding on mostly used components on eBay–to avoid paying full retail prices.)

Continue reading“The Editors’ Preps for the Week”

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”. I highly recommend reading the article on Power Grid Intrusions in today’s postings.

Update on Arrested Nurse

Jeff Payne, who was fired after arresting nurse Alex Wubbels has stated that he intends to appeal the decision as he believes it wasn’t fair to him. attorney Greg Skordas has publicly stated that if the body cams had not been widely circulated, which generated much publicity, he would still be employed. Aw shucks! If only he hadn’t been caught violating Wubbels civil rights. Thanks to reader T.P. for the link.

Licensing Journalists

Reader C.F. sent in this article on an Indiana state lawmaker who has proposed a bill that would require all journalist be licensed by the state police. It is highly unlikely that this bill will advance through the legislature, but the fact that the lawmaker proposed it shows an incredible ignorance of the constitution and is downright scary.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.” – Joshua 1:1-4 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday – October 13, 2017

Important Warning To Gun Owners: A Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives has introduced a horrible piece of legislation that would ban far more than just “bumpfire stocks.” This vaguely-worded bill would ban nearly all aftermarket triggers, trigger springs, buffers, buffer springs, bolt carriers, many muzzle brakes, and possibly even full capacity magazines and magazine extensions. It all hinges on the bill’s vague and undefined phrase: “increase the rate of fire”. Violations would be a felony, with a five year prison sentence for possession, manufacture, or transfer.  Most ominously, just like Feinstein’s bill in the Senate, this bill has NO Grandfather Clause!

This bill already has 25 co-sponsors, including 12 Republicans. Please contact your Congresscritters immediately and insist that they oppose the Curbelo Moulton Bill (H.R. 3999.) Be sure to remind them that that this bill constitutes a Federal “taking” without compensation.  (There is no Grandfather Clause, no Sunset Clause, and no method provided for registration. We’d simply be required to turn them in for destruction.)  This is the worst piece of Federal gun legislation since 1994.  It is crucial that you take action!  It has already been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary and could be before the full House in just a week. This might be on the fast track. Wake up, folks!

Your letter or e-mail can be short and sweet, such as this:

Dear Rep. XXXXXXXX:

Please oppose the Curbelo Moulton Bill (H.R. 3999), in any form. It is horrible legislation and vaguely written. It would affect far more than just “bump fire” stocks. If enacted, this law would be unconstitutional. Without a Grandfather Clause it would be an uncompensated “taking.” Please instead co-sponsor legislation that would rescind the Hughes Amendment to the Firearms Owners Protection act (FOPA) of  1986.  That will re-open the Federal registry of machineguns. Thank You, –  [signature]

Continue reading“Preparedness Notes for Friday – October 13, 2017”

Thermal Headset for Under $250, by Ricky B.

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I’ll bet my step-mama’s grave that anyone visiting SurvivalBlog either has a thermal headset or night vision device or would really like to have one. I was never able to emerge from the latter category until this year. I simply couldn’t afford to plunk down a thousand bucks or more on a limited family budget. That was the case, until now.

Smartphone-Mounted Thermal Camera

I recently discovered that a small, smartphone-mounted thermal camera can be had for about $200. Flir1 and Seek are the two competitors in this arena. Their cameras come in versions for both android and iOS devices. The only difference is the connector that plugs into the camera. Initially, I wasn’t too excited about relying on a thermal camera that had to be attached to my smartphone. Aside from being a novel toy, I figured the backlight from the smartphone’s screen would simply be a homing device to my face for a looter’s bullet. However, while researching the two competitor cameras, I had an epiphany that I’ll explain in a bit.

Various vendors, such as amazon.com, jet.com, and Home Depot, sell the camera online. Its average price is around $200-$225, though there are some options that may add to this basic price on the Seek camera.

Continue reading“Thermal Headset for Under $250, by Ricky B.”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest 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 economic predictions of money manager Michael Pento. (See the Stocks and Bonds section, near the top of this column.)

Precious Metals:

First, at Seeking Alpha: Germans Have Quietly Become The World’s Biggest Buyers Of Gold

o o o

Clive Maund: Silver Market Update

Stocks and Bonds (Michael Pento):

Next, here is a Greg Hunter video interview that is well worth watching: Michael Pento – Crazy Stock Market Will Crash. Pento is predicting a crash in 2018 because of the Central Banks will become net sellers of bonds and stocks. He foresees “an epic moment of reckoning” as bond prices collapse. Interest rates will surely jump. Insolvency will become rampant. Be ready for that, folks.  Get out of any non-fixed rate debt (such as credit card debt or variable interest rate home loans), soon! It is also important to hedge into tangibles to be ready for mass inflation. He also expresses concern that the North Korean crisis could lead to another World War. Pento predicts a massive bull market in precious metals and a global currency reset. Like me, Pento, expects that the Fed will try to inflate their way out of this problem, with  “helicopter money.”
Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday – October 12, 2017

Today, in 1492, after sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus sighted a Bahamian island, believing he had reached East Asia. His expedition went ashore the same day and claimed the land for Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain, who sponsored his attempt to find a western ocean route to China, India, and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia.

Continue reading“Preparedness Notes for Thursday – October 12, 2017”

Long-Term Preparedness for Your Baby or Toddler Part 2, by K.F.

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Sustainably Diapering Your Baby or Small Child in a Long-Term Emergency

In an emergency situation, one has to consider how you are going to diaper your child for the duration. If you choose to store disposable diapers and wipes, you must have an action plan for how you will dispose of them properly. Obviously, this is not a sustainable option for an emergency with an undefined length of time, but many prefer this method.

Most people would call me a “crunchy” mom. I gave birth at home in our bedroom, I avoid big pharma, and I am a huge proponent of the sustainable nature of cloth diapering. After much research, I excitedly stocked up our cloth diaper stash with various options before our daughter was born. My goal was to try as many methods as possible and determine the most suitable solution for our family.

Pocket Diapers Weren’t Ideal, Wool Diapers Were

It didn’t take us long to determine that the popular Pocket Diaper was not ideal. The amount of laundry required, the pieces and inserts that had to match each one, the time spent air-drying each item, and the time spent stuffing was just not going to work for me long term. I did enjoy bamboo terry flat diapers with Thirsties covers for the newborn period because they held in the explosive newborn poop quite well and they air dried quickly, but I have since found that wool is my favorite method of cloth diapering.

My daughter was three months old when I discovered diapering with wool. What started with a desperation to figure out a night-time solution for her heavy wetting, turned into complete and utter wool diaper love! At first the whole idea was scary. I wondered, can you really go for months without washing? Isn’t it gross? What if they shrink? Doesn’t it stink? I’ve tried a few different types of wool, and I’ve landed on interlock as the best long-term choice, because of how ridiculously forgiving and durable it is. You can even machine wash it if you need to!

Continue reading“Long-Term Preparedness for Your Baby or Toddler Part 2, by K.F.”

Letter Re: How to Survive Something Like the Vegas Attack?

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Dear SurvivalBlog Readers,

I would love to see some discussion about what people in the crowd in Vegas could/should have done to protect themselves, short of avoiding the crowd altogether.

If you find yourself in a crowd during a mass shooting like this, what should you do?

In such a chaotic environment, it would have been very difficult to know where the shots were coming from. Do you run to cover? Which direction? Crouch in place? How do you avoid being trampled?

Even if you had a concealed carry gun, it wouldn’t have been very helpful, and probably it would be unwise to pull it out.

Thank you for your thoughts. – A.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”. Stranger Danger! Now drones are being used to lure children.

Communist in Cadet’s Clothing

It’s not just the American civilian population that is spinning out of control. The honorable West Point is having much of the same issue with lack of respect for authority and moral values that match those that founded this nation. Reader P.M. sent in this article: Army Opens Investigation Into West Point Grad For Promoting Communism. Of particular interest in one sworn affidavit. This sort of juvenile delinquent behavior is unbecoming of anyone, especially a West Point Cadet.

Tape Measures and Hammers

Home Depot is in a tough spot. They traditionally market to the “Do it yourself” (DIY), but now the next generation is coming of age. What do you do when you sell lumber, hardware and tools to someone who doesn’t even know how to hammer a nail or use a tape measure? They have spent millions creating a series of videos on how to do basic things like read a tape measure or even mow a lawn. It’s not just home repair companies either. “Do it yourself” seems to be morphing into “Do it for me.” Thanks to G.G. for the link.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“[A] Winchester rifle should have a place of honor in every black home, and it should be used for that protection which the law refuses to give…” –  Ida B. Wells (1862–1931), African-American journalist, suffragist, sociologist, and Civil Rights leader