The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Men speak of dreaming as if it were a phenomenon of night and sleep. They should know better. All results achieved by us are self-promised, and all self-promises are made in dreams awake. Dreaming is the relief of labor,the wine that sustains us in act. We learn to love labor, not for itself, but for the opportunity it furnishes for dreaming, which is the great under-monotone of real life, unheard, unnoticed, because of its constancy. Living is dreaming. Only in the graves are there no dreams.” – Governor Lew Wallace, Ben Hur

Preparedness Notes for Thursday – October 04, 2018

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October 4, 1923 is the birthday of the late Charlton Heston, who was born John Charles Carter. He died April 5, 2008. He is often remembered for movies like Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments, Soylent Green, The Planet of the Apes, and the survivalist classic The Omega Man.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features 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 transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. 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, 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).

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.

Prepping and Practical Minimalism- Making Them Coexist- Part 2, by FLSnappyTurtle

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In part 1, I stated the I believed prepping and practical minimalism can coexist. It seems a bit of an oxymoron to have both the words “prepping” and “minimalism” in the same phrase, but I believe it makes sense.

We are renters, and recently I stepped back for a moment to take a good look at our way of living and our stuff. We had too much of it. Facing another cross-country move, I started taking inventory of everything we own and made some tough decisions about what to do away with. I’ve developed a new attitude of what I call “practical minimalism”.

Many preppers I know question why I would even consider downsizing my preps or my personal items to just the essentials. For me, there are two main reasons: 1) ease of portability and 2) the peace I feel in a well-organized and clutter-free home.

In part 1, I went over how I pared down my preps, including food and water and survival gear. I also provided the questions that I asked myself to help me evaluate what to keep and what to get rid of. Yet, what I decided to keep, I had to store.

Storage and the “Power of Three”

Minimalists pride themselves on how little they own. Preppers store supplies in stockpiles. How can these two ideals coexist? They can exist by merging the two lifestyles, finding a happy middle, and by having smart storage. After downsizing to the minimum number of items for your prepping needs, go through all your personal items in the same way. It will open a lot more room and options for storing the items you do keep.

Continue reading“Prepping and Practical Minimalism- Making Them Coexist- Part 2, by FLSnappyTurtle”

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”.  (This week with JWR filling in.)

Preppers In The Ozarks

Whilst doing some web wandering I stumbled into a piece that 417 magazine ran, back in March: Why 417-Land is Mecca for Doomsday Preppers.  Here is a quote: “And what better place to prepare than the Ozarks? Strafford got 47 inches of rain last year; the mean temperature was a mild 59 degrees. The Springfield Plateau has a 200-foot-deep aquifer for when rainwater gets scarce. The region is largely insulated from natural disasters—save the odd tornado or benign rumbling from the Bootheel’s New Madrid Fault Line—and the low population density of like-minded folks means preppers and homesteaders get left alone. A Lebanon real estate agent tells me remote acreage is an increasingly hot commodity for city dwellers eager to go native. Conversations with locals and time spent on prepping forums reveal a religious cohort who believe the Ozarks are God’s country—sacred ground upon which one can wage a last stand against the sins of a rapidly globalizing world.”

Gardening Seed Special

Seed for Security (one of our most loyal advertisers) is having a sale. Their Super Survival Pack is now 20% off. This Pack includes 4 pounds of survival seeds and 2 pints of healthful grains. All of their seed is heirloom, non GMO. None of it is hybrid. Their are including their four-page detailed Seed Saving Guide. This offer is for a limited time.

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – October 03, 2018

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October, 3, 2018 is the anniversary of the Mogadishu, Somalia raid. The 18 Americans killed were: MSG Gary Gordon, 1st SFOD-D SFC; Randy Shughart, 1st SFOD-D SSG; Daniel Busch, 1st SFOD-D SFC; Earl Fillmore, 1st SFOD-D MSG; Timothy Martin, 1st SFOD-D CPL; Jamie Smith, 3/75 Ranger SPC; James Cavaco, 3/75 Ranger SGT; Casey Joyce, 3/75 Ranger PFC; Richard Kowaleski, 3/75 Ranger SGT; Dominic Pilla, 3/75 Ranger SGT; Lorenzo Ruis, 3/75 Ranger SSG; William Cleveland, Jr. 160th SOAR SSG; Thomas Field, 160th SOAR CW4; Raymond Frank, 160th SOARD CW3; Clifton Wolcott, 160th SOAR CW2; Donovan Briley, 160th SOAR SGT; Cornell Houston, 10th MTN DIV PFC; and James Martin, 10th MTN DIV.

The Somalis killed were unnamed and unnumbered, but estimates range from 315 to 2,000 KIAs. The events of October 3, 1993 were memorialized in the movie Black Hawk Down.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features 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 transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. 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, 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).

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.

Prepping and Practical Minimalism- Making Them Coexist- Part 1, by FLSnappyTurtle

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My family has been prepping at a slower-than-desired rate for the past eight years. Like many survivalists, we add to our gear, food, and water supply as money and time permit. We are renters and tote our items from place to place when a move is required.

Practical Minimalism

Recently, I stepped back for a moment to take a good look at our way of living and our stuff. We had too much of it. Facing another cross-country move, I started taking inventory of everything we own and made some tough decisions about what to do away with. I’ve developed a new attitude of what I call “practical minimalism”.

It is a bit of an oxymoron to be a minimalist prepper. Many preppers I know question why I would even consider downsizing my preps or my personal items to just the essentials. For me, there are two main reasons: 1) ease of portability and 2) the peace I feel in a well-organized and clutter-free home.

First, Some Definitions

I understand these concepts will not appeal to many in the prepping community, but I will explain how I make the two lifestyles coexist and outline suggestions for those who wish to live the same way I do. First, let’s take a look at some definitions.

Continue reading“Prepping and Practical Minimalism- Making Them Coexist- Part 1, by FLSnappyTurtle”

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 junk bonds. (See the Economy & Finance section.)

Precious Metals:

Spot silver jumped to $14.50 USD per Troy ounce on Tuesday. So we may have seen the low for the year.  This is a good time to buy.

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‘Gold Should Head Toward $1,400’ – Bloomberg Intelligence

 

Economy & Finance:

Reader H.L. spotted this over at Wolf Street: US Gross National Debt Jumps by $1.27 Trillion in Fiscal 2018, Hits $21.5 Trillion

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on The Man in The High Castle. (See the Movies, Television & Music section.)

Books:

Organized Enough: The Anti-Perfectionist’s Guide to Getting–and Staying–Organized

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Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win (New Edition)

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The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners: Your Essential Guide to Living the Keto Lifestyle

 

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“To allow opposition by speech seems to indicate that you think the speech impotent, as when a man says that he has squared the circle, or that you do not care whole-heartedly for the result, or that you doubt either your power or your premises. But when men have realized that time has upset many fighting faiths, they may come to believe even more than they believe the very foundations of their own conduct that the ultimate good desired is better reached by free trade in ideas —that the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market, and that truth is the only ground upon which their wishes safely can be carried out. That at any rate is the theory of our Constitution.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes, in the supreme court decision Abrams v. United States, 250 U.S. 616 (1919)

An Open Letter To President Trump: Time for More Pardons

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Dear Mr. President:
As you know, the leftist mainstream media is still doing their best to demonize you and your cabinet. They are  slanderously mislabeling you as “fascists.” This is of course a totally unfounded slur. The insult has repeatedly been blithely bandied about by countless guests and even newscasters themselves on mainstream television news shows. This slander if hateful and hurtful to the image of your administration. They keep using the word fascist word without knowing what it means.

I am writing to propose that you blunt these accusations by issuing Presidential pardons and sentence commutations to hundreds and perhaps thousands of Federal prisoners. These are men and women who are deserving of the benefit of the doubt that their initial prosecutions, their sentencing, and/or their subsequent denials of parole were politically motivated, or were used to punish acts of conscience. While it might be a stretch to call them political prisoners, in many cases there were indeed political, religious, class, or racial biases in their cases.

Rather than waiting until the end of your first term as President–as is traditional–I recommend that you issue clemency, pardons, and sentence commutations, soon after the upcoming mid-term elections. (But not before, to avoid making it look like political grandstanding.)

Continue reading“An Open Letter To President Trump: Time for More Pardons”

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 the sheriff’s Round-up at the Round-up. (See the Eastern Oregon section.)

 

Region-Wide

Wyoming, Idaho Weigh Options After Grizzly Hunt Ruling

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A guide to some of the Inland Northwest’s major projects in 2018

Idaho

Remnant of Hurricane Rosa Could Bring ‘Very Dangerous’ Flash Floods to East Idaho

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First-ever recorded drone-hot air balloon collision prompts safety conversation

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Be careful, folks!  Police: Idaho man accidentally kills wife while cleaning gunContinue 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 “HJL”.

Algorithms

Algorithms are increasingly being used to make critical decisions that affect you and me. this article sent in by reader H.L. profiles a couple of disturbing incidents that really make you shudder when you realize how deeply embedded this concept is. In one case, a defendant was convicted of murder by a computer algorithm matching DNA. Then the designer of that algorithm decided that it wasn’t quite right so the conviction was tossed. When the prosecutor refilled the charges with a new DNA algorithm making the case, the maker of the algorithm refused to allow the defendant to inspect it because of its proprietary nature.

Spying Speed Detectors

The next time you see one of those speed boards that tell you how fast you are going you may want to think twice about taking that route. According to this article sent in by reader R.C., a good portion of those are put in place with federal grants and many will actually record the license plates of cars, reporting home with the tracking information. This is yet another method of collecting meta data on you that really serves no purpose other than just allowing government entities to track you at their whim.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“There is no better way to return the matter of taxation to full public discussion than to repeal the withholding taxes on wages and salaries. Only when the American people are confronted with the enormous excesses of government in a personal and direct way – by an annual bill for services rendered – will they be able to make an informed judgment about which services they want and which ones they can do without.” – Karl Hess