The Editors’ Preps for the Week

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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,

It was another quiet winter week at the Rawles Ranch.  In addition to homeschooling and our regular chores, we did some review of practical  skills.  Part of this  was re-familiarizing the kids on how to field strip and clean our M4gery carbines. Unlike the U.S. Army’s standard soldier-level field procedure, we also include removing the extractor.  In the second practice session, we raced against each other.  That was great fun for everyone.  Lily even tried it with her eyes closed.  She only had to peek twice.

Note: To avoid losing any of the small “fiddly bits” parts, we had them practice while seated on an old bed sheet spread on the living room floor. Out in the field, we do so over a spread poncho. (And yes, we do carry a few spare small part in our cleaning kits! (At the minimum: A spare firing pit retaining pin, cam pin, and a full extractor assembly–with pin.)

Lily cleaned out the chicken coop yet again this week.  With the outside temperatures hanging around freezing and low forties during the past two weeks the coop becomes very damp and yucky much more quickly, so it is requiring more frequent cleanings.

Continue reading“The Editors’ Preps for the Week”

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”. Homeschooling is under attack in Kalifornia as authorities ignore clear signs of mental sickness and blame the excuse.

Grenade Launcher

Goodwill is apparently the place to obtain your hardware. Reader T.J. sent in this article showing that someone donated a grenade launcher to Goodwill along with several other items. The only problem is that it was loaded – with a live grenade. The launcher was received from another store. Employees said they forwarded it because they didn’t know what it was.

Kalifornia Homeschool

Kalifornia is seeking to treat homeschool families as presumptive child abusers. Despite the clear unconstitutionality of the proposed measure, lawmakers have plans to require invasive procedures. These include home visits, interviews and other government oversight, to force parents to prove that they are not child abusers. The measure comes after a horrifying case where parents chained 13 children who were malnourished and clearly abused claimed they were homeschooling the children. Despite the clear indications that homeschooling had nothing to do with the abuses inflicted on these children, authorities never want a good emergency to go to waste. Indoctrinating your children in their progressive/liberal concepts is priority number one. Thanks to H.L. for the link.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

And one cried unto another, and said,

Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts:
the whole earth is full of his glory.

And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: and he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” Isaiah 6:1-8 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday – February 02, 2018

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February 2nd is the birthday of Ayn Rand (born Alisa Zinov’yevna Rosenbaum in 1905), died – March 6, 1982) She is of course remembered for her novel Atlas Shrugged, which is considered a Libertarian classic. While I sharply disagree with her views on religion (since she was an atheist), I admire both her skill as a writer and her ability to articulate some core precepts of human liberty.

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.

Preparing for the Inevitable American Gun Ban- Part 2, by Rector

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A full gun ban in the United States is inevitable. In part one of this three-part series, I begin to outline the cultural, legal, and demographic reasons I believe this is the case. Let’s continue looking into the changing demographics of the United States and its subsequent affect on the political landscape.

The Enemy Has A Vote

In my former life as an Infantry officer in the U.S. Army, we were fond of saying that “the enemy has a vote”, meaning that our best laid plans were likely to be undone by enemy action. Rest assured, the statists and gun control activists are planning and influencing government, just like we are. The American left is openly discussing how gun registration and confiscation “solved” the gun violence “problem” identified after the mass shooting in Port Arthur Australia in 1996.

I personally cannot stand reading leftist ramblings, but you should maintain awareness of the seriousness with which confiscation is being proposed. Read for yourself here, here, and here. Remember that just 3% of Americans own 50% of all firearms. It’s a big deal to you and me but not so much for the 70% of Americans who don’t own guns of any type. Are 1-2% of us (called “super enthusiasts”) really going to keep the rest of the country at bay indefinitely? We are outnumbered, and it is getting worse.

Continue reading“Preparing for the Inevitable American Gun Ban- Part 2, by Rector”

Letter: Learning New Skills Well

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Hugh,

It’s already February and I suppose a good 90% of all new years resolutions have come and gone. Personally I’m not a big believer in defining the thing I will start or quit each new year. Instead, every November to December, for the past 4 or 5 years, I start thinking the following: what skills will I focus on learning?

To help with the learning process, I group these skills into a few major groups: self-defense, food, medical, and technical/communications. I decide which of those major groups I want to increase my knowledge in, and I focus on it by breaking it down into three specific skills. Of those three skills I chose a beginner, intermediate, and advanced sub category to work on. I find that by applying this kind of focus, I can really build my skill sets without me becoming too overwhelmed.

As an example, here’s this years goals:

Continue reading“Letter: Learning New Skills Well”

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 weakening U.S Dollar. (See the Forex and Commodities sections.)

Precious Metals:

Jeff Clark, more optimistic than ever: 2018 Gold Price Forecast and Predictions

 

Forex (Weakening U.S Dollar):

The decline in the US Dollar against the Euro (USD/EUR) is continuing apace. This is best visualized in the 2 year chart at XE. Clearly, the Trump Administration and the Federal Reserve banking cartel are working in concert–at least for now. They want a robust economy, and part of that is driven by strong exports. (A relatively weak Dollar is one tool to strengthen U.S. exports.) Janet Yellen’s departure was announced in November, but it won’t become effective until after some new Fed appointments take effect. It remains to be seen in the reshuffled Fed Board will change policies, after Yellen’s quiet exit, Stage Right.

 

Commodities (Weakening U.S Dollar):

A weak U.S. Dollar tends to push commodities higher. Therefore, barring a credit collapse, I think that 2018 will be a strong year for many commodities.

o  o  o

Over at Seeking Alpha: Crude oil to pull back amid ‘tremendous speculative bubble,’ Kloza predicts

 

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday – February 01, 2018

February 1st is the anniversary of the secession of Texas from the United States in 1861. A State Convention considering secession opened in Austin on January 28th, 1861 and on February 1st, by a vote of 166-8, adopted an Ordinance of Secession from the United States. It’s important to note that not all Texans favored this act and the state Governor, Sam Houston, while being loyal to the union, refused offers from President Lincoln to keep him in office and was subsequently deposed as governor.

We also remember February 1st, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana as it reentered Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven crew members.

Continue reading“Preparedness Notes for Thursday – February 01, 2018”

Round 74 Non-Fiction Writing Contest Winners Announced!

We’ve come to the end of Round 74 and these are the editors picks for the winners. If you are one of these winners, please make sure you have sent in your UPS and USPS addresses to SurvivalBlog so that the prizes can be shipped. Any article submitted but not published will be automatically rolled over to Round 75 of the contest.

First Prize

First prize goes to Alaskan Gardeners for “Mid-Scale Grain Gardening in Alaska- Part 1”, “Part 2”, “Part 3”, and “Part 4”, published on December 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th, 2017. He will receive the following prizes.

  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

Second prize goes to George Fox for “Into Bear Country- Part 1” and “Part 2”. He will receive the following prizes:

  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

Third prize goes to Dr. DMC for “A Realistic Assessment of Epidemic Disease After TEOTWAWKI- Part 1”, and “Part 2”. He will receive the following prizes.

  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).

Honorable Mention

Honorable mention prizes ($30 Amazon.com gift certificates via e-mail) have been awarded to the writers of these fine articles:

Preparing for the Inevitable American Gun Ban- Part 1, by Rector

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A full gun ban in the United States is inevitable. Any honest reading of the cultural, legal, and demographic trends in the United States will confirm this thesis– the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall be infringed, and we will lose our firearms.

Many of you are rightfully rejecting my premise and doing so on solid intellectual ground: the 2nd Amendment, the Heller decision, the rise of concealed carry, the election of Trump, and the power of the NRA. These are formidable weapons in the fight to retain our rights. Yet, ultimately, we will lose the fight because this isn’t your grandfather’s America anymore.

The ban will be gradually implemented, popularly supported, and “legal”. You will have a choice to make– obey the law or become a felon. That decision will change your relationship with the government permanently. If you comply, you risk exposure to crime and unlawful government force. If you resist, you will become an outlaw. This article seeks to prepare you for that fateful day.

Continue reading“Preparing for the Inevitable American Gun Ban- Part 1, by Rector”

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”. Jeff Bezos has reached truly scary proportions in his wealth and influence.

BOV

This auction caught my eye: 1986 Chevrolet D30 4×4 Pickup. I’ve never seen a CUCV configured as a Dually before… – JWR

Influenza

Reader G.P. sent in this article on how Emergency Rooms are struggling to keep up with the load caused by the current flu onslaught. There are so many checking into the emergency department over flu symptoms that the hospitals are having to confiscate space to house the patients in waiting rooms and are restricting visitors to make room. Elective surgeries are also being routinely postponed as there are no beds available.

o o o

Flu shots are big business. The evidence on the effectiveness of flu shots is questionable, yet the industry keeps pumping them out. The CDC is playing into this with their new campaign. Not satisfied with the number of shots being given, the CDC is embarking on a campaign of “creating concern, anxiety and worry” among the American Public to convince them to get the shot. We used to call this tactic FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt). This is always a shady practice, preying on uneducated people. A much better solution is to educate people and honesty is always the best policy. Thanks to H.L. for the link.

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – January 31, 2018

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On January 31, 1606, Guy Fawkes was executed for his part in the Gunpowder Plot against parliament and King James.

Also on this day in 1872, American author Pearl Zane Grey was born. He was best know for his popular adventure western novels, including Riders of the Purple Sage, which was his best-selling book. As a boy, Hugh could often be found behind a copy of one of Zane Grey’s books, because he was an avid reader and any Zane Grey book was a favorite.

o o o

Please contact your congresscritters and insist that they OPPOSE H.R.4760 – Securing America’s Future Act of 2018. This omnibus bill mandates the development of a new biometric National ID card that would be universally issued. – JWR

o o o

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 74 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 74 ends on January 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.

What To Do and Not Do When a Pandemic Starts- Part 2, by Scientist69

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In part 1 of this article series, I explained the difference between a pandemic and an epidemic as well as virus transmissions. We also went through some basic biosecurity measures, including items to have on hand and how to use them, including some detail on various disinfectants. Now, let’s move forward in our discussion on dealing with pandemic-causes viruses.

Vaccination

Vaccinations have gotten a bad reputation, unfortunately due to the occurrence of some rare issues such as allergies to vaccines, autoimmune responses, et cetera and a whole lot of misinformation. Generally, if you had regular vaccinations, you might have some protection against any other flu, but it most likely will not be enough to prevent disease; however, it might give you a leg up in regards to dying. The reason for this is in the biology of the virus and the biology of your immune response.

Vaccinations against the seasonal flu are typically weakened or mostly killed influenza virus strains, with the vaccine companies trying to guess which strains are actively circulating next winter. They guess by looking at what is emerging in other parts of the world, particularly the southern hemisphere where winter and flu season is in June, July, and August. They then produce the vaccine against those strains and hope for the best. Obviously, that does not always work, which is why you sometimes have low rates of protection.

Continue reading“What To Do and Not Do When a Pandemic Starts- Part 2, by Scientist69”