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”. The cleanup from Hurricane Michael begins.

Hurricane Michael

Hurricane Michael apparently has the weather experts confused. Reader T.J. sent in this news article showing that the weather service was unable to predict the strength of the hurricane as it made landfall. The wind speeds are directly related to the pressure – The lower the pressure, the stronger the winds. Michael went from an unassuming tropical storm to flirting with the Category 5 level. This makes Michael the first Category 4 to make landfall in October since 1954. According to the experts, the storm should not have been as powerful as it was.

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Meanwhile, the aftermath of the storm is making life difficult for many residents. Those who were not prepared are now finding it difficult to find food and shelter. There is no electricity in much of the state so any food in a refrigerator has spoiled. There is no city water pressure or sewer in many urban areas so waste products are piling up. The article profiles the usual assortment of people who are upset that the government hasn’t come in yet to save them and make them comfortable. While our hearts go out to the people that are suffering, this should be a strong reminder to them that the government is not the one you depend on when the going gets tough. Thanks to H.L. for the link.

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” – Matthew 24:36-37 (KJV)

Springfield Armory’s XD-s Mod 2 .45 ACP, by Pat Cascio

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Quite often, when a gun maker comes out with a Mod 2 version of a current firearm, there really aren’t many new things to write about it. However, we’re taking a close look at the new and improved Springfield Armory XD-s Mod 2 version, and it’s a whole new ballgame.

Springfield Armor Shook Sub-Compact Gun Industry

When the Springfield Armory XD-s line of handguns came out, they really shook the sub-compact gun industry in many ways. This gun was available in 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP; how could they do it? It’s a good question, but it’s been a super-hot seller since it first hit the marketplace a few years ago.

There has always been a demand for sub-compact concealed carry handguns, and in the not too far past that was filled with the likes of a .38 Spl snubby revolver. While always a good choice, you were limited to the number of rounds they carried and, of course, the caliber. Additionally, revolvers, even with speed loaders, are still slower to reload than a semi-auto pistol, and a snubby revolver is still thick because of the cylinder. That’s not so with semi-auto handguns; they are slim.

I Was Wrong!

When I first heard about the XD-s Mod 2 version and saw the pictures of it, I was more like “ho-hum”. I though there was not much new there and that they just modified the grip area, rounding it off. Boy, was I wrong!

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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

Dear SurvivalBlog Readers:

We finally have the last of the hay for this winter stacked in the barn!  Weather delays and down equipment had plagued us through much of summer. ıut finally, it is all in!

My most labor-intensive project this week was mucking out the chicken run.

This past week was dominated by tomato harvesting, ripening, processing, and gifting. My wife (“Avalanche Lily”) will provide the details on that…

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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”. Yet again, up to nine million webcams are at risk.

Robotic Parkour

Over the last two years, we’ve been tracking the progress that Boston Dynamics has been making with their robots. Unlike the simple movements that robots like the Japanese Asimov is capable of, Boston Dynamics has been targeting “off road” use. These robots do not require level ground to operate on and are becoming quite capable of very human-like movements. Watching Atlas perform some basic parkour like jumping over a large log and leaping up multiple level platforms while not missing a beat on it’s jog is quite amazing. Atlas is a man-sized bipedal robot that has an on-board power source. Only a year ago, it was struggling to maintain balance when pushed. Thanks to G.P. for the video link.

DNA Registries

Apparently, more than 60 percent of Americans with European ancestry can be identified through the various DNA registries and databases, even if they have not submitted their own DNA. This is according to a report issued Thursday. Because of the registries ability to track relatives, even if a cousin submits their DNA and lists you as a cousin, there is enough information present that you can be tracked.

This information can be used for good like tracking a long lost relative or family tree or tracking a criminal. It can also be used for evil, like tracking those who have genetic defects that would raise insurance rates. What happens when a particular race of people are suddenly deemed sub-human and pursued for extermination? After watching the recent mob scenes over the confirmation of Kavanagh, I have to wonder how far our society is from something like this. Thanks to H.L. for the link.

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.” – Isaiah 54:6-7 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday – October 12, 2018

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.

Guest Post: Americans Are More Radicalized Than Ever As The Country Literally Spirals Toward Civil War, by Michael Snyder

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Now that Brett Kavanaugh has officially been confirmed, it is a good time to reflect upon where we are at as a nation. And where we are at is a nation that is rapidly moving toward a state of civil war. At one time we were a nation that was united by shared values, a shared purpose and a shared destiny, but now all of that has been replaced by anger, frustration, bitterness, strife and discord. The left hates the right and vice versa, and both sides are becoming increasingly radicalized. And without a doubt we are in a life or death battle for the future of America. Eventually one side or the other will emerge victorious, and their ideology will become dominant in this country.

Up to this point, there has been a lot of screaming, yelling and protesting, but it isn’t going to take very much to push the nation over the edge into violence.

On a daily basis the pot is being stirred by our leading politicians and the mainstream media, and it is very difficult to see any way that this story is going to end well.

Early on Sunday, the Drudge Report was being headlined by an Axios story about “the radicalization of our public lives”…

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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 JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on crypto volatility. (See the Cryptos section.)

 

Stocks:

We’ll start with this at Seeking Alpha: What Is Behind The Market Sell-Off And Should We Worry?

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Also at Seeking Alpha: Tesla: The Cracks Are Showing

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At Zero Hedge: Trump Blames Market Rout On Fed, Says Won’t Fire Powell

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Also at Zero Hedge: How Much More Do The Quants Have To Sell?

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Preparedness Notes for Thursday – October 11, 2018

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On this day, in 732, at the Battle of Tours near Poitiers, France, Frankish leader Charles Martel, a Christian, defeated a large army of Spanish Moors, halting the Muslim advance into Western Europe. Abd-ar-Rahman, the Muslim governor of Cordoba, was killed in the fighting, and the Moors retreated from Gaul, never to return in such force.

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Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by Hurricane Michael. Let’s continue to pray for their safety and wisdom in the choices they make.

Guest Article: Seven People You Don’t Want in Your Group, by Kit Perez

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Editor’s Introductory Note: This article first appeared in the American Partisan blog. It is re-posted with permission.

I get a lot of questions about recruiting. How to do it, when to do it, when not to. While the best way to answer those questions is in an actual class (and there are still a few spots open in the webinar class I’m teaching on it), there are some hard and fast rules about the type of people you want and don’t want in your group. In fact, there’s a list of automatic disqualifications that I tend to use and teach others. If someone is on the disqualification list, they’re an automatic no-go. It doesn’t mean they aren’t friends, or that I suddenly see them as not worth having in my life; I’m talking about purely an ally standpoint. The 0300 call for assistance. The people who I can count on no matter what. After all, what’s the purpose here? If your goal is just to go to rallies and be seen “doing patriot stuff,” then don’t even bother reading the rest of the article, because it’ll fly right over your head.

The rules tend to make people uncomfortable or even angry. “Well, my friend Jack might meet one of those automatic disqualifications but you don’t know him. I do. He’s solid.” Here’s the thing: your knowledge of him doesn’t trump your adversary’s knowledge of how to take a person like Jack and manipulate him into doing things he would not normally do. The bottom line is, are you willing to trust the rest of your life, to be spent in a prison cell, to every person in your group? If you have a “group” of 30, 50, or even 100 people, the answer to that is no; at least, it should be — especially in this age of social media “groups” where you haven’t even MET half the people in the group, let alone had an opportunity to observe them in a variety of situations. In fact, that’s one of the reasons we advocate for such small groups in Basics of Resistance. There’s nothing that says you can’t network with other groups for specific one-time purposes, with the proper compartmentalization.

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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”. A SurvivalBlog reader updates us on his preparations for Hurricane Michael today.

Orwell’s e-dress

Yet another leaked “internal document” from silicon valley shows that the tech giants are indeed attempting control of free speech in their desire to make Trump and the populist movement that elected him a mere blip in history. This time the the document admits that Google and other tech platfroms now control the majority of online conversations and have undertaken a shift towards censorship in response to political events around the world. Despite Google’s claims to the contrary, evidence is mounting that Google (and other tech companies) do indeed wish to control the narrative. Of course you knew that just because conservative voices are so easily squashed online, yet liberal/progressive voices shout louder than ever. Thanks to D.S. for the link.

The U.S.S.A.

The United States appears to be morphing into the United States of Soviet America according to this article sent in by reader H.L. We are seeing an ever growing amount of surveillance by the government over its own citizens along with a lessening of trust towards both sides. The writer clearly shows how America’s news outlets are clearly being used as propeganda just like the Soviet news outlets like RT and Sputnik. Now with the Department of Homeland Security’s media monitoring program, all that is left is monitoring private conversations of U.S. citizens…oh wait, thanks to Edward Snowden, we already know about those.

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