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”. Paraguay has missing rifles.

School Shootings

Remember those 240 school shootings in 2015-2016 that the Department of Education claimed? Neither do we. Reader BDG sent in this article from NPR that fact-checked the Department of Education. They contacted every single school that the Department had listed in their report. it turns out that they were only able to confirm 11 incidents (either directly with the schools or by media reports). In 161 cases, the schools or districts attested that no incident took place or couldn’t confirm one. The Department claimed that they would update the data later this year, but have no intention of correcting or republishing the report. So much for accurate data.

Britons Under Fire

Britain’s counter-terrorism police have released a new video advising people on vacation what to do if they experience a terrorist attack. The advice is summed up as “run, hide, and tell,” in that order. Yep, run and hide, hoping that the bad guy doesn’t notice you. You know, it kind of sounds like they’ve been taking advice from the Florida, Broward County Sheriff’s Department.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Whenever someone must buy a license or pay a fee to exercise a right, then it is something less than a right. It is in fact a mere privilege, subject to the whim of petty bureaucrats. Fundamental rights are not abstract tokens that are given or sold by other men. They are in fact primary liberties bestowed upon us by God, our maker. Rights are not substantially secured by asking, ‘Mother may I?’ of any government agency. Rights are more properly demanded or boldly seized and then conspicuously exercised regularly. This secures the liberties that have legitimately belonged to us since birth. If need be, lost rights can and must be restored through proscriptive use. If you live in a land where your rights have been marginalized into privileges, then it is either time to change your government, or to change your address. Much like a muscle that atrophies with disuse, any right that goes unexercised for many years devolves into a privilege, and eventually can even be redefined as a crime.” – James Wesley, Rawles

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – August 29, 2018

August 29th is a mournful day, as we remember the anniversary of the death of “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” – Isaiah 40:3. John, the Baptist, who heralded the first coming of our Lord and stood true to his belief in the face of death, was beheaded on this day in 29AD.

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The prepper holiday “Paratus” will be celebrated on September 21st. Paratus was originated by “Commader Zero”, the pen name of the editor of the long-running Notes From The Bunker Blog.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

This has been another entry for Round 78 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 78 ends on September 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.

Thirsty Are Those Who Do Not Prep- Part 2, by The Grumpy Gunfighter

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Without water, survival is impossible, even if you have a storage facility filled with bullets, bandaids, beans, and batteries. My family and I prep in the desert southwest and have taken action so that we won’t find ourselves thirsty in the event of a crisis.

Well Drilling 101 (continued)

Methods and Techniques Used to Find Groundwater

Ideally, you want to have year around dedicated water access. However, not everyone has access to a fresh lake, spring, aquifer, pond, or stream. Many people have to drill a well, and that’s what we are talking about now– Well Drilling 101. Specifically, we left off just beginning to discuss the methods and techniques used to find groundwater. I mentioned the scientifically proven ones but then referenced Dowsing, which should be approached with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Dowsing

For hundreds, if not thousands, of years, a method called Dowsing has been used by individuals called “dowsers” or “water witches”. These individuals claim to have the ability to detect significant amounts of groundwater below the earth’s surface. Dowsers often use a method involving two “L” shaped rods or a Y shaped tree branch. The “water witches” will then hold the rods or tree branches between their finger and walk over an area. They claim that if the rods or branches twitch or cross in a certain way, it is because they are sensing water below the surface in aquifers, veins, or faults.

Now while personally I try and stay clear of anyone holding a stick and calling themselves a witch, there are many people all over the world who claim that this is a viable way to locate ground water. A close family friend of mine works for a professional well drilling business here in the Southwest, and he states that they use a water witch who is correct about 95% of the time. Ultimately, it is unclear if these individuals are able to sense something abnormal or if they just happen to get lucky, as some form of groundwater is common in most places if you dig deep enough.

Continue reading“Thirsty Are Those Who Do Not Prep- Part 2, by The Grumpy Gunfighter”

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 future of cryptocurrencies. (See the Cryptos section.)

 

Precious Metals:

It is noteworthy that when I last checked, spot silver was at $14.73 and gold was at $1,207 per troy ounce. That is a ratio of 81.94-to-1.  A ratio this high is unusual. We saw roughly this same silver-to-gold ratio in June of 2003 and again in December of 2008. (The lowest ratio in the past 10 years was in April of 2011, with a ratio of just 31.5-to-1.) For those with any interest in ratio trading, I believe that now is great time to swap gold for silver. In my estimation, the upside for silver is substantially better than for gold.

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Money, Fake Money And Sound Money

 

Cryptos (Future of Cryptocurrencies):

This was published back in April, but is still largely accurate: Cryptocurrency regulation in 2018: Where the world stands right now

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Cryptocurrency Regulation Update (August 2018)

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Video at CNBC: Ten experts debate bitcoin’s recent declines and the future of cryptocurrency

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week

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Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on 80% SIG P320 Trigger Group Modules. (See the Vlogs & Instructional Videos section.)

Books:

Bob Brownell’s Gunsmith Kinks

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The Art of Raising a Puppy (Revised Edition)

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I’ve mentioned this very practical book before: What to Expect When You’re Expecting

 

Movies & Television:

My old friend Fred The Valmetmeister recommended this BBC documentary: Empire Episode 1: A Taste for Power

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The Ninth Day.  The true story of a Catholic priest from Luxembourg who was imprisoned at the Dachau death camp. Available on DVD, and also for free streaming to those with Amazon Prime.

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Patriot Games. Available on DVD, and also for free streaming to those with Amazon Prime.

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – August 28, 2018

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August 28, 1833 is the anniversary of the abolishment of slavery throughout the British Empire.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

This has been another entry for Round 78 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 78 ends on September 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.

Thirsty Are Those Who Do Not Prep- Part 1, by The Grumpy Gunfighter

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As a prepper who has lived in an off-the-grid home in the arid southwest desert for the past 20 plus years, I am no stranger to the challenges of obtaining safe and reliable sources of water. My family and I have used a professionally drilled well for our water. However, the unfortunate reality is that the water table in our region is dwindling. Years of historic drought in our area, coupled with the significant increase in the population, have made it apparent that water scarcity will continue to be a growing issue. We prep and have taken action so that we won’t find ourselves thirsty in the event of a crisis.

I wrote this article to hopefully inspire you all who also live where water is scarce to consider the importance of planning for clean drinking water. This applies even after the collapse of our modern water infrastructure.

Water is Life

Without access to clean drinking water, survival is impossible. It doesn’t matter how many bullets, bandaids, beans, and batteries you have stored up. If you and your family can’t hydrate, you may not last a week.

Continue reading“Thirsty Are Those Who Do Not Prep- Part 1, by The Grumpy Gunfighter”

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 Alien Gear Holsters. (See the Idaho section.)

 

Idaho (Alien Gear Holsters)

I noticed that Alien Gear Holsters (of Post Falls, Idaho) has greatly expended their Shape Shift line of injection molded holsters. Their new pocket holster design is particularly nifty.

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US denies liability after boy is sprayed by its cyanide trap

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Federal agencies approve central Idaho wilderness area plans

 

Montana

Building the Virtual Gold Rush: New facility offers power, internet and ventilation for miners looking to invest in cryptocurrency

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Conviction overturned after chemist testified while on meth.JWR’s Comment:  I concur with the judge assigned to the trial. This is just about the ultimate in hypocrisy.

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Fires disrupting visitors at Montana’s Glacier National Park

 

Continue 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”. The hunger stones have appeared again.

Smart Meters

An appeals court has ruled that the “smart meters” being used by the utility companies in Naperville, Illinois constitute a “search” under the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment which establishes the “right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.” However, they determined that the search was “reasonable”. At issue is the meters propensity to report on a minute-by-minute bases rather than the traditional monthly basis. While the updated readings can help the utility company better plan it’s provisions, the data can also be used to determine other information about the residents that the utility company just shouldn’t have.

School Bus Conversion

Reader A.D. sent in the link to this blog that SurvivalBlog readers may find interesting. This is a family of six that sold their home and converted a school bus into an RV to chase their dreams. They outline the conversion of the school bus along with the floorplan they used. It is an interesting read. I have several friends who have changed their lifestyles to be more mobile and use the tiny house concept as their base. Personally, I don’t like the migrant lifestyle, but if you do, you should check this site out.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“In Western Europe since Roman times, private property was considered sacrosanct. The principle enunciated by the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca that kings rule by the will of the people became fundamental to Western civilization, together with private property, which was the main source of productive wealth.” – The Late Richard Pipes

Rock Island Armory 1911 CS FDE, by Pat Cascio

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Imported from the Philippines, this Rocky Island Armory 1911 CS FDE is one hot-selling, Officers-style 1911 handgun. And, it is a a bargain to be had.

More Than a Little Familiar With 1911s

Long-time readers will know that I’m a real sucker for a good 1911-style handgun. They also know that if a gun isn’t a bargain, a real bargain, I’ll pass it up. I’ve owned more than a few custom 1911s over the years, and they were fine pieces of work. They were super-accurate, with more accuracy than I could begin to squeeze out of them, and just a genuine work of art and a work of love. I’ve also owned more factory-made 1911s than I can begin to remember. Most were really good guns and well worth the money. So, I’m more than a little familiar with 1911s of just about every make and model. Additionally, the 1911 is one of my all-time favorite handguns to work on– gunsmith.

Policy to Think On A Purchase For a Day or Two

A trip to my local gun shop in Albany, OR revealed something new: a 1911 CS FDE Officers-sized pistol, in .45 ACP, of course. The price was just oh-so-right, too, but I had to think on this one for a couple of days, though. I asked the counter person if they had more than one in stock. I was told “yes”. So, there was a good chance I’d be able to get one, if I thought on this for a few days. It’s sort of a new “policy” with me as of late to do this.

Continue reading“Rock Island Armory 1911 CS FDE, by Pat Cascio”