Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Government-to-government foreign aid promotes statism, centralized planning, socialism, dependence, pauperization, inefficiency, and waste. It prolongs the poverty it is designed to cure. Voluntary private investment in private enterprise, on the other hand, promotes capitalism, production, independence, and self-reliance.” – Henry Hazlitt

International Travel Preparation- Part 2, by O.D.

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Yesterday, in Part 1, I shared about the importance of getting your vaccinations before travelling to international destinations. I also shared various preps, including some of the things I find helpful to carry, where I recommend a person stay, and what not to bother with. I also shared that from time to time when I was staying some place for awhile, I have purchased and stashed an old bicycle to have on hand in case I needed to “get out of Dodge” quickly and quietly. No matter whether you are having to get out of Dodge or you are just going about your normal business, you need to be able to walk comfortably. Let’s take a look at what is required for this.

Outfitting The Walkin’ Dude- The Essentials

  • Boots for walking. You need well broken-in boots with toe protection; they need to be tough enough to kick-and-stomp with if it comes down to that.
  • Water storage. I carry two empty Platypus flat-bag water packs in my carry-on luggage plus whatever water bottles I can pick up. Also, I take water purification iodine and a filter straw (I also always carry packets of oral rehydration powder, not just because I might end up despite this precautions with dirty water but in case I come across a child who is dying of dehydration. Some things can’t be passed by). (BTW, recipes for making a fair replica of ORS (oral rehydration solution) from commonly available ingredients are freely to be found on the net. This is absolutely worth knowing.)

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Letter Re: Plan “B” Power

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Hugh:

I got a little solar set up. I put most of the panels in a cabinet, leaving one up to “trickle charge” the batteries and keep them up. It did not work. In trying to save the batteries, I employed a Honda EU2000 with the dc charging feature. That EU2000 was how I was going to smooth over charging issues during consecutive cloudy days. The problem is, the measured voltage range between full capacity and the minimum you should tolerate is very small. The EU2000 does not have a charge controller. “Keeping an eye on the process” does not work. Personally, I bounce from project to project between work and family life. Does anyone out there have a suggestion for a charge controller that would work well with the EU2000? – RV

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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”. Make sure you read the article on the updated NIST recommendations for electronic passwords.

Incorrigible Bear

In Durango Colorado, a bear broke into an SUV and took it for a short joy ride. It yanked the steering wheel off of the column, ripped the radio out of the dash, released the emergency brake and rolled it down a driveway and into a mailbox and over some utility boxes at 5 A.M. It then busted the rear window in its escape. Authorities are sure it was a bear because it apparently defecated in the car (likely because it was nervous over the vehicle moving). I wasn’t sure for a while if we were talking about an incorrigible bear or a teenager. Apparently a late frost damaged the berry production and the bears are hungry. If you live in the area, make sure you take proper precautions. Thanks to H.L. for the link.

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International Travel Preparation- Part 1, by O.D.

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When the mushroom cloud goes up or the grid goes down, those of us preparing will be fortunate if we are home or at our pre-planned bug out location and with our family. But many of us work away from home, with a sizeable minority of us travelling out-of-country. What then? Are you prepared for international travel?

Getting All The Way Back Home

I’ve been flying to and from work for about three decades, usually not to places high on the “must-see for the party scene” list. On my second-ever expatriate assignment, I got a quick and extremely pointed wake-up call when I was hijacked on the taxi ride in from the airport. Now I may not be able to see ahead to the future, but I am a relatively quick learner from the harsh past. And now, everyday travel prep is second nature, especially when going to places where the rule of law still doesn’t apply or has been worsening.

Some of these places, for example, include the “Trashcanistans”, Sudan, or Brussels. So, I will share a few comments on what I have personally found to be useful. I have only needed some of it for real on two occasions in 28 years. However, during those two times I was very pleased to be my own backup.

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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 investing in  Trading Cards. (See the Tangibles section, near the end of this column.)

 

Precious Metals:

Investors Should Take Advantage Of Gold’s Summer Doldrums – Mickey Fulp

o  o  o

Stunning Results: Four Top Primary Silver Miners Production Plummets

Stocks:

When Will the Tech Bubble Burst?

o  o  o

Over at the CNBC Cheering Section: S&P 500 and Dow hit record highs, led by financials

 

Commodities:

I missed this interesting article when it ran back in April: Nickel Market Beware: Batteries can no Longer be Ignored – Roskill Information Services

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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 the movie Copperhead.

Books:

Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle. Note:  Senator Flake is a pseudo-Conservative and a Republican In Name Only (RINO.) I’m recommending that you read the book as an insight on how how the RINOs manipulate and operate. The career-entrenched RINOs in Congress are currently squandering the opportunity of the majority that was handed to them in the last election. They have no intention of “draining the Swamp.”  They are are, in fact, the Swamp Creatures.

o  o  o

A Guide Book of United States Coins 2018: The Official Red Book

 

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A Quiet Life: How to Lower Your Profile or Go Fully Off the Grid

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Part of my work life in most weeks involves consulting phone calls.  The majority of my clients are in the U.S. and Canada.  Not surprisingly, many of my clients have questions for me about privacy.  These questions are generally along three lines:  1.) Buying guns privately, 2.) buying land privately, and 3.) how to avoid paper trails on storage food purchases.  In this essay,  I will try to address all three of those topics, as well as a few related points. One of the key concepts herein is Going Analog.  But first, I’ll mention completely dropping off the grid.

Going Dark

The Going Dark concept implies someone cutting off all normal contacts. This is often coincident with relocating in an attempt to disappear without a trace.  This extreme in privacy is only required for someone in duress.  That is, for instance, someone who is the target of a manhunt,  for a criminal case witness who is at risk, someone evading an abusive ex-spouse, or someone who is fleeing creditors.

Details on fully Going Dark are included in several popular books, such as: How to Disappear: Erase Your Digital Footprint, Leave False Trails, And Vanish Without A Trace.

For most of the rest of us, simply lowering your profile is sufficient.  The following are few suggestions:

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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. The emphasis today is on the term Redoubter. It is now used as a term of derision by leftist malcontents.

The Redoubt Movement and “Redoubters” in the News

First off, over at The Charles Carroll Society site, there is a great article. It is about how the term “Redoubter” has been politicized. Liberal Republican upset that conservatives are politically active in Idaho.

Idaho

Michael Snyder has announced his candidacy for an Idaho Congressional seat.  You may recognize Michael’s name. He is the author of four books and he is the Editor of EconomicCollapseBlog.com.  He is a devout Christian, and distinctly  “pro-life, pro-gun, and pro-liberty.”  Snyder favors term limits and limited government.  And Snyder is also in favor of abolishing the IRS, the EPA, the Federal Reserve, and the Income Tax. Those are worthy goals!  Snyder and his family live in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

o o o

There is a Kickstarter project now active for a clever roto-molded hand cart called the Polymule.  This was the creation of an Idaho inventor. It looks quite versatile. Preppers will surely see its potential for Get Out Of Dodge gear transport. That is just the beginning.  It is also well-suited to pulling firewood out of the woods (in those tightly-spaced groves where even your quad won’t go.) They also look great for gardening and for transporting wild game. (As a deer cart.)

o o o

Reader H.L. sent this: Health insurers in Idaho request premium rate hikes as high as 81 percent. JWR’s Comment: B-b-but wait! President Obama told us that our rates would probably go down!

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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”. Today we are featuring some interesting Second Amendment focused articles, but first this gut wrenching article:

Reverend Hillary

I looked for any kind of indication that this was a satirical article and came up empty handed. Now, recognizing that while The Atlantic calls itself “moderate” it clearly leans solidly left. Even so, I think I’ve thrown up a little in my mouth. It certainly begs the question of “Exactly what Gospel will she be preaching?”: Hillary Wants to Preach. Perhaps she is trying to emulate Al Sharpton or something like that. But The Atlantic says it best: “There are no more voters left to lose.” Thanks to T.P. for the link.

Feral Hogs

The Southern and Western states are facing an increasingly difficult situation as feral hogs expand their domain and destruction. This article sent in by reader H.L. is a good introduction to those who are unfamiliar with the issue and the massive destruction that they can bring. Most interesting is the articles revelation that hogs are actually not wanderers and that their expansion is most likely due to humans transporting them to create hunting.

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