Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – February 21, 2018

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February 21st is also the birthday of Group Captain Douglas Bader (born 1910, died 5 September 1982). He was a Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter ace during the Second World War. He lost his legs in a pre-war flying accident, but that didn’t stop him from re-entering the RAF when war broke out. He was credited with 20 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared probable, and 11 enemy aircraft damaged. Bader was eventually shot down and became a POW in Germany. Since the Luftwaffe ran its own POW camps, he became a celebrity with his captors. The Germans would lock up his hollow metal prosthetic legs each night to prevent him from escaping. Bader’s autobiography Reach for the Sky is a must for those studying aviation in World War II.

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“Pro-2nd Amendment” DJT Unfurls His True Colors

This headline hit the news Tuesday afternoon: Trump pushes ban on ‘bump stocks’ — devices that turn weapons into ‘machine guns’. President Donald J. Trump (DJT) has clearly made a major political compromise to his promised pro-gun stance. Take the time to re-read my October 2017 SurvivalBlog article: The Legislative Entrepreneur: Investing in Some Key AR Parts. If you have any interest in owning a binary trigger, then get a couple of them on order TODAY. The chances are now quite high that the BATFE will ban their manufacture. But if they do, there will probably be a Grandfather Clause, allowing folks to keep what they already own. I predict that if they are banned, that “pre-ban” (grandfathered) binary triggers will skyrocket in price.

Most gun parts dealers sold out of binary triggers yesterday evening, but I noticed that Valley Food Storage has some Franklin Armory BFS-III binary triggers for AR-15 in stock, at $429.99 each. And I heard that Ready Made Resources still has a few Tac-Con 3MR triggers for AR-15/AR-10 in stock at $379 each.

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.

Surviving in an Urban Environment- Part 2, by J.M.

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I am sharing experience and ideas about surviving in an urban environment in the event of short-term or major, long-term emergency situation. We’re currently talking about getting home, whether from work or campus, since home is where our supplies are most likely stored.

Get Home Bag

On the subject of equipment and supplies, you’ve probably heard the term “Get Home Bag” (GHB). A lot of the discussion you can find regarding GHBs deals with handling a multi-day trek through the wilderness. Most of the time, the recommended content focuses on things like starting fires, building shelter, finding water, et cetera. Most of that shouldn’t be necessary for an urban trek of any more than (hopefully) a few miles. Below is my recommendations for urban GHB items you should have with you whenever you go out.

Spare Keys

Always have spare keys with you. Getting home safely doesn’t make any difference, if you can’t get in once you’re there. You should always carry a complete set of spare keys necessary to get into your apartment (outside door, deadbolts, et cetera). Use something like a belt with hidden pockets, your wallet, or wear a spare set around your neck on a dog tag chain. But always have them on you. Don’t depend on hiding a spare set near your apartment, since there are very few nooks or crannies that will stay undisturbed for very long in most urban environments.

Continue reading“Surviving in an Urban Environment- Part 2, by J.M.”

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 Bitcoin taxes.

 

Precious Metals:

Mike Maloney’s Update On the Gold/Silver Ratio

 

Stocks:

At Reuters: Dow, S&P snap winning streak as Walmart weighs

 

Taxes (Bitcoin Taxes):

SurvivalBlog reader Janet X. sent us a scary little snippet from Martin W. Armstrong: Cryptocurrency Maybe Become a Tax Nightmare. JWR’s Comments: While there could indeed be accurate tax tracking of Bitcoin purchases (or sales) through exchanges, what about Bitcoin fractions that are gifts, trades, or personally mined?  Can you imagine what a tax audit would be like for someone who trades, gifts, or sells such BTC at a later date? Imagine this series of questions:  “What was the US Dollar value when you mined it?” “And what was the US Dollar value on the day that you received it?”  “And what was the US Dollar value on the day that you spent or traded it?” Yikes!

With Bitcoin prices all over map in a wild rollercoaster ride for the past three years, who is to say what this crypto’s relative Dollar value was at those precise “taxable event” days or hours?  This would be especially confusing for Bitcoin mining, which is often done very gradually. When is the taxable event Dollar-value benchmark for miners?

Consider that from 2014 to 2017 the Dollar value of a Bitcoin ranged from $4 to as high as $20,000. Then In January 2018 it was back down to $6,000. Now (as of February 20th, 2018) it is back up over $10,800. Those tax calculations might be almost impossible to make accurately!

 

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 a course for military surplus waterproof Hardigg and Pelican cases  (See the Gear section.)

Books:

Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America’s Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan

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Guerrilla Camping: Getting Off the Beaten Path

Movies:

I found a documentary on economics that is definitely worth watching. It is: End of the Road: How Money Became Worthless. (Available on DVD, also available free streaming to those with an Amazon Prime membership.)  SurvivalBlog readers will recognize the names of a lot of the Hard Money economists who are interviewed.

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And I just noticed that the 1997 documentary Waco – The Rules of Engagement is now available on DVD or for free download via Amazon Prime.
Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – February 20, 2018

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This is the birthday of novelist and screenwriter Richard Matheson (1926–2013). He wrote many sci-fi television scripts. His novella I Am Legend later was adapted into three different movies over the course of five decades, and his story Bid Time Return became the charming movie Somewhere In Time.

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We are still looking for more contest entries. Make sure you get your’s finished and sent in soon!

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

This has been 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.

Surviving in an Urban Environment- Part 1, by J.M.

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Let’s talk about surviving in an urban environment. In my younger days, one of my first jobs was in a mid-sized city in the Midwest. Being young, I wanted to enjoy all of the virtues and vices that the city had to offer. So, I got an apartment that was close to the city center. I had camping gear, and I always made sure to have a decent stock of food, water and medical supplies. However, with the knowledge and experience I’ve picked up in the ensuing decades, I look back and realize how unprepared I really was to survive an even moderate disaster.

The Goal of This Article

The goal of this article is to share some of what I’ve learned over the years in order to help folks who want to be prepared to survive for a few weeks or months and are, for whatever reason, living in an urban environment. For the purpose of this discussion, I consider “urban” living to mean you are living and working within 20 miles of a city with more than 100,000 inhabitants. It’s critical to understand that urban environments are not a good option for long-term survival. Between the population densities (average is around 4000 people/sq. mi.), criminals/gangs, and lack of sustainable resources, you can probably plan on surviving on your own resources for a few weeks or months at most. After that, you’d better hope things either go back to normal or have a “Phase 2” plan to get to a better survival location.

Since many folks who live in urban areas tend to be younger and not have a lot of disposable income, I’ve tried to provide the least expensive recommendations that could still meet requirements. I’ve provided online links for ordering where I could. But keep in mind you may be able to find many items (or equivalents) less expensive in your local Walmart, dollar store, second-hand shop, or even on eBay. Since living spaces in most urban areas tend to be smaller multi-story apartments, I’ve also tried to minimize storage requirements. These conditions could also apply to college students living on or near a campus.

Continue reading“Surviving in an Urban Environment- Part 1, by J.M.”

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 Rep. Matt Shea’s recent presentation on the proposed State of Liberty. (See the Eastern Washington section.)


Region-Wide:

Here is a good summary of demographics for the Inland Northwest region.

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11 Stunning Places To Visit In The Inland Northwest

 

Idaho

Writing in Redoubt News, Rep. Christy Zito reports on some pending legislation: Idaho Stand-Your-Ground / Castle Doctrine. Here is a quote from her article:  “The stand your ground section of HB444 states that one has the right to use deadly force and not retreat if you are not the aggressor and you feel like your life is in jeopardy. HB 444 provides that one can use deadly force to defend life in their home, yard, place of business, or any place where one has a legal right to be. Also included is the presumption of innocence when deadly force has been used. That means that you are innocent until proven guilty. Current laws state that the criminal who broke into your home is the victim until you can prove you needed to shoot in self-defense. Additionally, H.B. 444 includes ‘criminal immunity’ which says that if you are charged and tried for your justifiable homicide, and you are found not guilty by reason of self-defense, you are entitled to have reasonable court costs reimbursed.”

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Also from Redoubt News: A Testimonial of The American Redoubt: A Look Inside

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 Nuclear Football in Beijing

I’m not completely familiar on how the infamous “nuclear football” works. For those more unfamiliar than I am, it is supposed to be a briefcase that has the nuclear launch codes. It goes where the president goes. President Trump’s recent visit to Beijing caused quite a dust-up when the president was allowed in the Great Hall of the People, but the person carrying the briefcase was not. After a short confrontation, the U.S. delegation proceeded to follow the president anyway on the instruction of Chief of Staff, John Kelly. One U.S. secret service agent apparently tackled a Chinese security officer when he placed a hand Kelly.

Gun Facts

John Cylc wrote a good article on The State of Guns in America using just facts – Not opinion. In the words of Rahm Emanuel, never let a good emergency go to waste. The progressive/liberals don’t even let the ink dry on the newspapers, let alone the mourning bury their loved ones before they politicize the mass shootings anymore. Their rhetoric is filled with emotional please for “common sense gun control”, whatever that means. They don’t hesitate to twist statistics or even make up their own if it furthers their goals. What else can we expect when we have created such victim rich (gun free) zones around America. Cylc puts the numbers in perspective and shows the true agenda.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police … yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home — all the more powerful because forbidden — terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.” – Winston S. Churchill, in: Blood, Toil, Tears & Sweat

Preparedness Notes for Monday – February 19, 2018

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Today is the birthday of Lee Marvin (1924–1987), who you may remember from The Professionals or The Big Red One.

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Please bear with us as we make adjustments to the new display template to fix the commenting problem introduced by WordPress.

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The SurvivalBlog 2005-2017 Archive sold out in just about a week. If there is enough interest, we will order another batch. Let us know if you missed your chance.

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JRH Enterprises is having a President’s Day sale on popular items like the OTAL-C Infrared laser for use with your Night vision device. A high grade laser made by Steiner that uses 1 AA battery. Another important, often overlooked piece of logistical planning is having repair items for all your tactical gear. JRH has made up repair kits for tactical gear to help you out. They are currently on sale as well. Both items are currently in stock and most shipping same day for orders received before 10 a.m..

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Pat Cascio has done it again. He got his hands on the new Springfield Armory’s 911 .380 handgun and has a hands-on review for you this week.

Springfield Armory’s 911 .380 Handgun – By Pat Cascio

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Without a doubt, Springfield Armory came late to the dance with a sub-compact .380 handgun. However, that doesn’t mean that they don’t know the dance or came with a new and faster two-step dance. Under review today is the new 911 from Springfield Armory.

Back When I Carried a .380 Pistol

Many years ago, when I was a young private investigator back in the Windy City of Chicago, IL, I carried a Walther PPK/S .380 stainless steel pistol in a shoulder holster. It was very chic to say the least. Back then, the only ammo available was Full Metal Jack (FMJ), and it wasn’t known to be a manstopper round. It still isn’t, in my book. Before some time passed, I found myself carrying a snubbed nosed .357 Mag revolver. (Even back then, you could teach me a new trick, as hard-headed as I was as a young man.)

A .380 Caliber Handgun for Self Defense

Even today, I still don’t recommend any .380 ACP caliber handgun as a main handgun for self defense. Now, with that said, I can certainly see where sub-compact handguns chambered in .380 ACP have their place in a self-defense roll. This is because of their very compact size and the advent of improved bullets that are better at stopping the bad guy.

Continue reading“Springfield Armory’s 911 .380 Handgun – By Pat Cascio”

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 real money versus fiat currency, aka “funny money.” (See the Forex section.)

Precious Metals:

COT Silver Report – February 16, 2018

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Johnson Matthey: Expect Platinum Surplus in 2018

Stocks:

Zacks: Stock Market News for Feb 16, 2018

 

Forex (Real Money):

The Trump Administration seems intent on continuing a Weak Dollar policy, to bolster American exports.  The question is: What currency is the best hedge?  I’m still betting on the Swiss Franc (CHF). But I also have small positions in British Pounds (GBP), Canadian Dollars (CAD), and even some Israeli Shekels (NIS).  Oh, and a bit of Bitcoin. But in the final analysis, all fiat currencies and cryptos have zero intrinsic value. Barterable tangibles (including silver coins) are the last real money in the world–even if the governments of the world ignore them as such. Their game: Force everyone to do business using their funny money, and force everyone to pay taxes using their funny money.  Don’t confuse the term currency with real money. They are different animals.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“In a recent article, Yale scholar Stephen Roach points out that between 2008 and 2017 the combined balance sheets of the central banks of the U.S., Japan and the eurozone expanded by $8.3 trillion, while nominal GDP in those same economies expanded $2.1 trillion.

What happens when you print $8.3 trillion in money and only get $2.1 trillion of growth? What happened to the extra $6.2 trillion of printed money? The answer is that it went into assets. Stocks, bonds, emerging-market debt and real estate have all been pumped up by central bank money printing.

What makes 2018 different from the prior 10 years? The answer is that this is the year the central banks stop printing and take away the punch bowl.

The Fed is already destroying money (they do this by not rolling over maturing bonds). Last week, the Fed reduced its balance sheet by $22 billion. While that doesn’t seem like much when you’re talking about a $4 trillion balance sheet, it was the Fed’s largest cut to date. Funny how the market hit the skids just after this happened. But you haven’t heard the mainstream media mention that.

By the end of 2018, the annual pace of money destruction will be $600 billion — if the Fed under new chairman Jerome Powell stays on course. The European Central Bank and Bank of Japan are not yet at the point of reducing money supply, but they have stopped expanding it and plan to reduce money supply later this year.

In economics everything happens at the margin. When something is expanding and then stops expanding, the marginal impact is the same as shrinking. Apart from money supply, all of the major central banks are planning rate hikes, and some, such as those in the U.S. and U.K., are actually implementing them. Reducing money supply and raising interest rates might be the right policy if price inflation were out of control. But despite a recent uptick in some inflation measures, prices have mostly been falling.

The “inflation” hasn’t been in consumer prices; it’s in asset prices. The impact of money supply reduction and higher rates will be falling asset prices in stocks, bonds and real estate — the asset bubble in reverse. And as the past few days show, the problem with asset prices is that they do not move in a smooth, linear way. Asset prices are prone to bubbles on the upside and panics on the downside. Small moves can cascade out of control (the technical name for this is ‘hypersynchronous’) and lead to a global liquidity crisis worse than 2008.

This will not be a soft landing. The central banks — especially the U.S. Fed, first under Ben Bernanke and later under Janet Yellen — repeated Alan Greenspan’s blunder from 2005–06. Greenspan left rates too low for too long and got a monstrous bubble in residential real estate that led the financial world to the brink of total collapse in 2008.

Bernanke and Yellen also left rates too low for too long. They should have started rate and balance sheet normalization in 2010 at the early stages of the current expansion when the economy could have borne it. They didn’t. Bernanke and Yellen did not get a residential real estate bubble. Instead, they got an “everything bubble.” In the fullness of time, this will be viewed as the greatest blunder in the history of central banking. Not only that, but Greenspan left Bernanke some dry powder in 2007 because the Fed’s balance sheet was only $800 billion. The Fed had policy space to respond to the panic of 2008 with rate cuts and QE1.

Today the Fed’s balance sheet is over $4 trillion. If the current rout becomes a full-blown panic, or even if it is delayed until later, the Fed’s capacity to cut rates is only 1.5%. And its capacity to expand the balance sheet is basically nil, because the Fed would be pushing the outer limits of an invisible confidence boundary.

This conundrum of how central banks unwind easy money without causing a recession (or worse) is just one small part of a risky mosaic. For now, think of 2018 as the year of living dangerously.” – Jim Rickards, in The Daily Reckoning