Surviving in an Urban Environment- Part 5, by J.M.

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We are in the middle of reviewing ways to improve your security if you are caught in a short or mid-length emergency while in an urban apartment or dorm.

Safety and Security (continued)

Let’s continue with our list of ways to improve our security in case of an emergency.

Know Maintenance People

Get friendly with your apartment’s maintenance people. Tell them you have an interest in or are taking a class in civil engineering and want to know more about your building’s systems. They can show you all of the hidden nooks and crannies in your building, particularly if it’s an older one. I had a friend who accidentally busted a hole in the wall of his apartment in an older building and discovered an unused dumbwaiter shaft behind it, which would have made a great emergency escape. Make sure you know how to access the roof (including from inside the elevator shaft) and are able to bypass any locks that may prevent you from doing so. Another good source of information would be your local Building Commission. In most municipalities builders have to file a copy of the blueprints. If it’s an older building that’s been modified or rebuilt there may be multiple iterations of blueprints.

Continue reading“Surviving in an Urban Environment- Part 5, by J.M.”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

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To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. Steadily, we work on meeting our prepping goals. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities. They also often share their planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, property improvements, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!  This week’s emphasis is on small arms mechanical training.

JWR

Dear SurvivalBlog Readers,

We’ve just had a beautiful week of sunny weather, but quite cold nights.  (As low as -1 degree F.) So the family has done a lot of snowshoeing and ice skating, right here at the Ranch. There is more snow due off and on for the next 10 days, but hopefully that will be the last blast of winter.  We are anxious to start cutting firewood, mending fences, and getting back in the greenhouse.

I had a few hobby gunsmithing projects this week, mostly completing and perfecting a few AR builds. I’ve also been working on an antique Chilean Model 1895 Mauser sporter project. Note: With pre-1899 antique guns, I only feel justified in altering them if I’m starting with either an incomplete rifle, or modifying some else’s previous sporter project.  I try to leave complete original condition guns alone–not wanting to destroy their collector’s value.

Please send comments about your own preps. Thanks, – Jim Rawles

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

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 conversation continues today on the renewed call for gun control in the wake of the Florida shooting.

On Martial Law

Reader H.L. sent in this article featuring an interview with Selco on martial law. For those who are unfamiliar with Selco, he has written extensively about his survival experiences during the civil war in Bosnia. There are some common misconceptions that patriots tend to have about how martial law is usually implemented and how it works. This is good stuff. What is readily apparent is that open rebellion at that point is a sure way to kill off you and your family. If you must fight, I’d recommend studying up on the late Mike Vanderboegh’s concept of 4th generation warfare and the small cell concept.

Gun Control Compromise Fallacy

Reader T.J. sent in this video with Reid Henrichs of Valor Ridge on the fallacy of gun control and the cost of freedom. The current state of public opinion on gun control is a direct result of gun owners taking the position “They aren’t coming after my guns so I’m not getting involved”. The Second Amendment has been eroded one little piece at a time because gun owners will not stand together. You may not like “bump stocks” and you may think they are silly, but by not standing beside those who do use them, you are part of the problem. This is worth listening too. I’m reminded of Martin Niemoller’s poem about cowardice:

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

 Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?

Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:

Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.

Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people.” – Joel 2: 11-18 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday – February 23, 2018

February 23rd is the birthday of Captain Isaac Davis (February 23, 1745 – April 19, 1775), a militia officer and gunsmith who commanded a Minute Company in Acton, Massachusetts during the Battle of Concord.

Today is also the anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836).

o o o

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 4, 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. I have covered the topic of the getting home, the Get Home Bag, skills required for a trek home. Now, I’ve begun to cover what might be needed to survive a mid-length crisis of weeks or months. So far, we looked at the subjects of water and food. Now, let’s move on.

Hygiene

As the saying about hygiene goes, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” That’s especially true, if you’re confined to a limited enclosed area for a long period of time. Keeping yourself clean is critical for good health, and keeping your environment clean will minimize the risk of unwanted pests. The problem tends to be how to accomplish this with a minimal amount of water. I will now go over some recommendations.

Clean Your Apartment

Keep your apartment clean by regularly sweeping, dusting, and wiping surfaces and dishes down with disinfecting wipes. The wipes only store for a few months, so you should regularly rotate through those while maintaining a several month supply. Clean up any food spills immediately.

Continue reading“Surviving in an Urban Environment- Part 4, by J.M.”

Letter: A Question About a Home Business in Leatherworking

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Hello,
What type of items do you suggest for leatherworking? I currently make holsters & slings for myself and friends and I am considering expanding to other items. I know it’s a silly question and you’re most likely too busy running the blog to have time for this but figured it never hurts to ask a question. Thank for all you do and taking the time to read this. – Chuck

Continue reading“Letter: A Question About a Home Business in Leatherworking”

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 South Africa’s new President, Cyril Ramaphosa.

Precious Metals:

Forget the Stock Market. Investors Are Trading in Gold for Bitcoin

Stocks:

European shares recoup losses as miners, financials rise

 

Commodities:

Offshore Oil Is Poised For Significant Growth

 

Global Economy (President Cyril Ramaphosa):

South Africa’s incompetent president Jacob Zuma was recently forced out of office. That would normally come as great news. But the bad news is that Zuma was just replaced by Cyril Ramaphosa. The New Guy is a hard core leftist who has repeatedly gone on record as in favor of forced land redistribution without compensation. That is exactly what Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe did, with disastrous results. This does not bode well for crop farmers, cattle farmers (ranchers), game farmers, or miners in South Africa! Nor does it bode well for the future of the South African Rand, as a currency. (Astute traders are probably already shorting the Rand.) Keep in mind that South Africa’s population is almost four times larger than that of Zimbabwe. So we may see human suffering on a grand scale, under Cyril Ramaphosa.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday – February 22, 2018

1

On this day in 1732, George Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, the second son from the second marriage of a colonial plantation owner. An initially loyal British subject, Washington eventually led the Continental Army in the American Revolution and became known as the father of the United States.

o o o

It is with a sad heart that we learned of the passing of Evangelist Billy Graham yesterday. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Graham family today.

o o o

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 3, 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 just wrapped up the Get Home Bag, list of recommended contents, and explanations. Let’s look at skills.

Skills For the Trek Home

You’ll need to develop some skills necessary to survive a trek home under potentially difficult circumstances. These include:

Physical Fitness

Your physical fitness is fundamentally important. If your only regular exercise is from walking to and from the subway, you’re going to have a hard time walking 20 blocks to your apartment in any reasonable amount of time. Furthermore, you won’t be able to run away from danger if you need to. Remember that rule #1 is cardio! There’s a lot of good information available on basic survival fitness. It’s something you can do for little or no cost.

Situational Awareness

A lack of situational awareness can get you killed. A normal urban environment is a cacophony of sounds, sights and smells, which you’ve probably gotten pretty good at tuning out; however, in a disaster scenario, things will change quickly and you need to be aware.

Continue reading“Surviving in an Urban Environment- Part 3, by J.M.”

Letter: How to Use Precious Metals

Hugh,

Assuming that my ability to travel after SHTF will be severely limited, how can I use or sell my precious metals? – J.A.

HJL’s Response:

Precious metals are really designed to carry your wealth through a crises and be used on the other side – especially if you have large chunks of PMs. Traditionally, PMs always have intrinsic value simply because people recognize the rarity of the metal and have always attached some value to it. However, during a crises in which the economy collapses, you can’t eat them. That’s why we always recommend filling out your preps with things that have a more immediate value first like food, medicine, and ammunition (beans, bullets, and band-aids). During an economic collapse, you will get more value when dealing with items that people actually need and can use. The PMs only come in when dealing with someone who really has everything they need and is willing to barter for PMs.

If you have all the food, medicine and ammunition that you need plus a bit extra, then you can barter that sort of item for more PM’s. When the crisis is over and the economy begins to stabilize, the value of PMs as a store of wealth comes back. If you have stored part of your wealth in PMs (or if you have bartered for PMs during this time) you get the benefit of seeing that wealth return. Basically, you don’t really want to spend the PMs during a crises, but you want to collect them then.

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”. Economic crises is the focus of today’s edition.

E-Books on Homesteading

Patrice Lewis of the Rural Revolution blog has greatly expanded her Country Living Series of How-To e-books. There are now over 60 titles available in these low-cost e-books that cover unique aspects of rural living, livestock care, preparedness, simplicity, frugality and rural businesses. All the books are in PDF format and can be purchased individually or bundled together for more information on broader topics. The bundles are 25% less expensive than if purchased individually. If you want to homestead, you need to look into these. By the way, SurvivalBlog readers can use the discount code “RAWLES” for 10% off, at checkout.

Florida Legislature Stands Up

Less than a week after 17 people were fatally shot in a Florida high school, the state House had to vote down a bill that would ban assault rifles. The proponents of the bill had politicized the event and publicly paraded survivors of that shooting before the House in an emotional appeal that suggested if the legislature did not vote their way, they stood against these children. I believe I heard one student in a public state claim that if you didn’t stand with them, you stood against them. Really? I don’t know of anyone that wants any children shot dead, yet they are claiming that if I don’t agree with them, I do?

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

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.

o o o

“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.