Cipher Security- Part 1, by East Sierra Sage

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[Editor’s Note: This is good information, but readers should note that simple transposition ciphers of any type can be easily broken. Only One Time Pads and book codes offer any reasonable level of cipher security.]

My Nom de Plume is “East Sierra Sage”, and I’m writing about cipher security. I am a Retired Marine Infantry Staff Non-Commissioned Officer. I served multiple combat tours in Iraq, as well as most of the “skirmishes” the U.S. got involved in leading up to the global war on terror. Two tours were served as an instructor of Mountain Warfare training for the Marine Corps. I have taught “Survival in the Mountains” and have trained combat staff members in command post operations. I have taught Navy SEALS, Army Special Forces, Army Rangers, and Air Force Para-rescue operators, as well as many numerous foreign military personnel.

My Life, Career, and Lessons Learned in Intelligence Reporting

During my career I was “voluntold” to write ground-up Intelligence reporting to higher headquarters. These tasks, though uninspiring at first, would eventually teach me many ways to deliver “secure” messages via plain text or open source communications formats, as well as teach me the way Intelligence personnel conduct predictive analysis in order to synchronize Infantry operations to anticipate enemy actions and get personnel “left of bang”.

Continue reading“Cipher Security- Part 1, by East Sierra Sage”

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”. Firearms on YouTube are in trouble with the recent changes in policy.

NRA Buckles yet Again

The NRA has buckled yet again. Shadows of the 1968 spineless collapse just won’t go away. This time, the NRA has come out in favor of Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs). As promoted by the NRA, the family of the victim will bypass any sort of police involvement, going straight to court with their evidence. A judge will then rule on the restraining order and the police will then be bound to enforce it. Supposedly, the victim has the right to contest the claims against him, but it would appear that this is yet another “guilty until proven innocent” situation. Note that the article is obviously biased for the GVROs. Thanks to H.L. for the link.

One Bill to Rule Them All

Congress has a habit of fiddling around all year long, spending time on trivial things rather than dealing with actual business. Then the deadline for their stated purpose of spending bills looms close and they lump everything together into an omnibus bill. The problem with this method is that your congressman may be for the majority of line items in the bill, but it is guaranteed to contain things that he/she is against. If he votes “no” because of those things, he/she is considered an obstructionist. This time around, there are a number of issues including one that blocks penalties for illegal-immigrant sanctuary cities. This years bill specifically denies the administration the ability to withhold federal grant money to those cities who defy federal law on immigration. Thanks to D.S. for the link.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“As a rule, there is no surer way to the dislike of men than to behave well where they have behaved badly.” – Lew Wallace, New Mexico Territorial Governor, and author of the novel Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ. (Wallace wrote the manuscript for Ben Hur during his spare time before and while serving as Territorial Governor.)

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – March 21, 2018

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Just three days after Hessian mercenary forces assaulted the local New Jersey militia at Quinton’s Bridge, the same contingent surprised the colonial militia at Hancock’s Bridge five miles from Salem. In what became known as the Massacre at Hancock’s Bridge, at least 20 members of the militia lost their lives, some after attempting to surrender. The Loyalists reputedly exclaimed “Spare no one! Give no quarter!” as they stormed the occupied house. Judge Hancock and his brother (both Loyalists) were bayoneted in the melee by the attackers even though they were both staunch supporters of the crown and were themselves non-violent Quakers.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 75 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. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value), and
  8. 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 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. 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 75 ends on March 31st, 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.

Our 36-Hour Test During the Nor’easter Wind Storm, by RR in the Mid-Atlantic

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We knew this storm was a short-term situation, and so we used it as an opportunity to test systems and find holes in our plans. Keep that in mind as you read this article. We just experienced very heavy and sustained winds and no snow/rain/flooding, which would obviously bring a whole new set of challenges.

Generators

Backup generators are critical. Ours is a “portable”, 10K watt starting (8,500 running watts), gasoline-powered Generac. It has a 30 amp plug and cord that is then connected into a cable that connects into a 50-watt sub panel we have integrated to our home main electrical panel. That home panel has a dedicated set of circuits that can run critical components, such as the furnace, kitchen appliances, and outlets, a few rooms with light, and our upstairs MBR and bathroom with power. It also runs our septic and well systems. Lots of comforts were had when 95% of the neighborhood was dark and without water or septic.

Running a Noisy Generator

We ran the generator at three-hour intervals during the day and turned it off as we slept. The unit ran for approximately 12 hours, and it drank around four gallons of gasoline. It is loud, but all the neighbors have acreage around us, and I didn’t find that anyone beyond my closest neighbors who could hear it. I would like to see about some sort of muffler enhancement to make it less noisy. The generator also has a pull string start, which is handy because the battery is quite dead. We would have been more conservative with the hours running the generator, but we knew that this was a short-term situation. It was a good time to run a good test and learn some lessons.

Continue reading“Our 36-Hour Test During the Nor’easter Wind Storm, by RR in the Mid-Atlantic”

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 Remington Firearms. (See the Tangibles Investing section, near the end of this column.)

Precious Metals:

How to Buy Gold or Silver With Bitcoin & Other Cryptos

Cryptos:

After dipping to as low as $7,421 USD last week, the value of Bitcoin seems to have bounced back.  I believe that $8,000 is a realistic new floor level. There could be a test of a $6,200 USD price level, but I expect BTC to gradually build a base from around $8,100 USD. Although I hedged out of some of my Bitcoin holdings in to precious metals a while back, I’m still bullish for both BTC and Ether, in the long term.

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Many libertarians were fond of asking “Who is John Galt?”  Now, some have switched to asking:  Who is Satoshi Nakamoto?

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 Tactical Walls — a firearms concealment furniture company.

Books:

The Call Of The Wild, by Jack London

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NOLS Winter Camping (NOLS Library)

 

Movies:

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. On DVD, but also now available fro free download for anyone with an Amazon Prime membership.

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Bitcoin Gospel — a 2018 documentary on DVD. It is also now available for free download for Amazon Prime members.

 

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“One bleeding-heart type asked me in a recent interview if I did not agree that ‘violence begets violence.’ I told him that it is my earnest endeavor to see that it does. I would like very much to ensure—and in some cases I have—that any man who offers violence to his fellow citizen begets a whole lot more in return than he can enjoy.” – Col. Jeff Cooper

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – March 20, 2018

March 20th is the birthday of Mel Tappan. (Born 1933, died 1980.) His perennially popular survivalist books Survival Guns and Tappan on Survival have a well-deserved following.

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We are coming on the end of Round 75 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. If you would like your article to be considered in this round, get it finished and sent in to the editors soon!

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 75 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. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value), and
  8. 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 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. 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 75 ends on March 31st, 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.

The Second Amendment, by D.V.

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There is a lot of talk about the Second Amendment right now. The Bill of Rights is a document that has been enshrined in the annals of America. Ultimately, it is the fundamental rights that is provided to individuals to protect them from an overbearing government. While of the amendments on the Bill of Rights that are under attack, the amendment that takes the greatest beating is Amendment #2– the Right to Bear Arms. (I believe I could make valid arguments on all ten are under attack, yes even Amendment #3– No Quartering of Soldiers, but that is a different article.)

What the Second Amendment Says

In total, if it is not ingrained in your heart or tattooed on your arm, the Second Amendment reads, “A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” A plain reading and understanding of this text is that the people are the standing army and therefore should be armed as such. There are multiple documents, court opinions, and articles on this amendment that date from when it was written to now.

Continue reading“The Second Amendment, by D.V.”

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 American Redoubt’s equestrian culture and colorful rodeos.

Idaho

Idaho’s Rodeo Culture

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Southwest Idaho Endurance Riding

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Homeschooled kids here in the American Redoubt often amaze me. For example, I’ve witnessed their great ability to memorize lengthy passages of scripture and the Declaration of Independence. But Akiane Kramarik, from Sandpoint, Idaho is astoundingly off the scale!  Child Prodigy is a Self-Made Millionaire from Selling Her Incredible Paintings SuperHuman: Geniuses

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”. Turkey disturbingly calls for an “Army of Islam” to attack Israel this week.

The Six “No’s” You Need to Know

Dale Carson Law, in Florida, has posted a YouTube video outlining six common things that you can say “no” to when dealing with police. What is good about this is that the lawyer outlines that while you can say “no”, you may not want to. For instance, if you are a passenger in a vehicle, you do not have to show ID to a police officer. However, if the officer declares the scene unsafe because he doesn’t know that you may belong there, he might arrest you. While the arrest would probably be removed, your fingerprints will now be in the law enforcement database forever. The record of that arrest will never be totally removed and it may affect your ability to gain or retain employment. If you have an attitude with the cop over a refusal to show ID, the likelihood of the conflict moving in that direction is much greater.

Army of Islam

Reader G.P. sent in this link responding to Turkey’s call (through their semi-official newspaper) for a 57 nation “Army of Islam” where all of the nations ruled by Islam would form a coalition to besiege and attack Israel. This move of combining military might would create the largest military force on the planet. Given Islam’s hatred of Israel and America, that is certainly a terrifying thought. Probably the only saving grace is that Islam seems just as adept at killing each other as they do at killing non-Islamist. The article does show that Turkey, while still a member of NATO, really doesn’t share any attributes with their western neighbors.

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

SOG Knives Kiku Folder by Pat Cascio

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If your tastes run along the lines of the great Japanese knife designers, then you’ll really enjoy the SOG Knives Kiku folder. It’s under review today.

Talented American Knife Designers

I know many American knife designers, and they are some pretty talented folks. I got to know quite a few of them when I was the West Coast Field Editor for Knives Illustrated magazine, for which I wrote for more years than any other writer. So I had the opportunity to speak with a lot of custom knife makers/designers over the years. However, many folks believe that when it comes to Japanese knife makers/designers, they have the rest of ‘em beat hands down!

Marriage of SOG Opening Device and Design by Japanese Knife Designer Kiku Matsuda

SOG Knives partnered with Kiku Matsuda, a well-known Japanese knife maker/designer, to come out with several of his world famous designs. Under review this time around is the Kiku SOG spring-assisted opening folding knife. The knife design itself belongs to Matsuda, but the SOG spring-assisted opening device is owned by SOG. The marriage of the two is really quite something to behold.

Continue reading“SOG Knives Kiku Folder by Pat Cascio”