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”. Most troubling this week is Symantec’s revelation of just how far hackers have penetrated into the U.S. power grid.

From the Desk of Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large

Edward Poitevent is at the mercy of Casper the Invisible Frog. The U.S. fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has determined that his land would be an excellent habitat for the Mississippi gopher frog (because it once ranged there at some point) so they have declared it a sanctuary rendering it commercially worthless. There is just a few problems. All the trees have to be cut down and replanted on all 1,500 acres, the underbrush has to be cleared and/or burned on a yearly basis and the ponds on the property have to be refurbished every year. They expect Poitevent to pay for it too. Poitevent describes it as having to build a $34 million frog hotel that will never be occupied. So now the government can steal your land over animals that don’t even live there.

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Dr Kevin Menes was in charge of the ED on the night of the Las Vegas shooting. He had preplanned and through through tough mass casualty situations and had mentally rehearsed the plans and when called into action, his work resulted in saving literally hundreds of lives. Not all heroes wear capes. Preplanning, asking hard questions and coming up with solutions before situations arise works. In his case, it led to medal-worth performance.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The times call for courage. The times call for hard work. But if the demands are high, it is because the stakes are even higher. They are nothing less than the future of human liberty, which means the future of civilization.” – Henry Hazlitt

Blackhawk Clothing, by Pat Cascio

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If you are serious about surviving the End Of The World, or whatever SHFT scenario that may come you way, you might want to consider the Blackhawk Products clothing line.

Bearing Burdens of the Homeless

Please, bear with me for a few minutes, as I digress just a little bit. It will all make sense to you, I promise. Some years ago, when my family and I lived outside of Ontario, Oregon, we started a much needed street ministry to the homeless. At any given time, we could find 20-30 homeless people walking the streets, day and night. So, there was a need, and we wanted to help fill it. We sent out letters to every church in town, asking if they could support the new ministry we were about to start. We asked for clothing, blankets, sleeping bags, and small donations to purchase food.

Christian Community’s Response

We were not prepared for the onslaught we received from the “Christian” community there. I fielded phone calls and letters, telling me that there was no need for a homeless ministry in Ontario, Oregon. There were no homeless in the area? Huh? What? Anytime, day or night, if you drove around town you could find many homeless folks. I was more than a little annoyed at the response I was getting. One pastor actually called me up and asked me what my “qualifications” were to feed the homeless and hungry, and he wanted to know what my education and credentials were. Well, my “qualifications” came from the Bible to feed and clothe the homeless. As to my education, I asked him what his was. Then, I told him I held an earned Doctor of Divinity degree. That was the end of conversation with him.

Continue reading“Blackhawk Clothing, by Pat Cascio”

New Advertising Spots Available on SurvivalBlog

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Pardon this bit of self-promotion, but just like any other business venture, we need to generate revenue to consistently post SurvivalBlog with daily updates.  (We’ve only missed posting a  few days since our launch in August of 2005.) Most of our revenue comes from advertising  and The 10 Cent Challenge.

You’ve probably noticed that we’ve revamped our advertising on SurvivalBlog. In addition to traditional banner ads in the right hand column, we now offer text ads (text between articles) for just $100 per month. Those who choose to run the traditional banner ads with us also get access to the text ads at no additional cost.

Improved SurvivalBlog Advertising

Hugh (our Managing Editor) implemented a very clever automated system that allows all of our advertisers to remotely change their ads as often as they’d like.

Since our new text ads are so affordable, this opens up advertising opportunities for many small ventures that previously could not afford to advertise on SurvivalBlog. These could include:

  • Home-based Internet and mailorder businesses
  • Real estate agents and brokers throughout the US and Canada
  • Promotion for guns shows, preparedness expos, and fiber crafts shows
  • Small gun training schools and mobile trainers
  • Gun shops and gunsmiths that do some mailorder business
  • Coin shops and bullion dealers that do some mailorder sales
  • Businesses that do storefront sales inside The American Redoubt
  • Other blogs and prepper-oriented hard copy magazines
  • Web designers and graphic artists who work remotely
  • Off-grid and backup power system designers and installers
  • Building contractors and architects who specialize in retreat buildings and shelters
  • Makers of customized ham radio equipment and antennas
  • Companies seeking investors or franchisees
  • Small publishers
  • Tour, cruise, and safari promotions
  • Custom handloaders
  • Builders of custom bugout vehicles and campers/trailers
  • Custom stovemakers
  • People with mobile businesses such as farriers, piano tuners, and chiropractors
  • Medical professionals who do mobile training classes
  • Bookstores that do some mailorder sales
  • Rebluing, Parkerizing, Cerakoting, and camouflage-dipping services
  • Agricultural training seminars
  • Promotion for hamfests and ham swap meets
  • Home-based publishers and self-published authors
  • Log home kit builders
  • Custom and kit aircraft makers
  • Wall tent makers
  • Self-published authors
  • ATV and Off-road vehicle trailer makers/dealers
  • CPAs and tax professionals
  • Custom ghillie and thermal suit makers
  • Promotion for Podcasters and Vloggers
  • Military surplus dealers
  • Remote Internet/Satellite TV system providers
  • Fuel and water tank makers and dealers
  • Blasting and demolition services
  • Road, pond, and hydroelectric engineers
  • Logging companies
  • Homeschooling curriculum publishers
  • Meetup groups and matchmaking services
  • Custom welders and fabricators
  • Heavy equipment, steam engine, and vehicle restorers
  • Surveyors (especially those licensed more than one state.)
  • Farmers Markets and Co-ops seeking promotion
  • Exotic and rare breed livestock breeders

… and many more. If you have such a venture–or if you know someone who does, who might be interested–then please contact us!  You can see our advertising guidelines, our available advertising spaces, and our advertising rate–all here.

I expect all of the SurvivalBlog ad spaces to sell out by the end of December, so don’t delay!  Thanks, – JWR

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 estate options. (See the Tangibles Investing section, near the end of this column.)

Precious Metals:

To start us off:  Will The Gold Price Hit $1,800 Again? – Morningstar

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Surviving on $3/oz has Lonmin in race against time. The same mining company has recently been hit by some labor strife.

Stock Markets:

GLOBAL MARKETS – Stock indexes dip on U.S. tax reform doubts; Bitcoin below $7000

Forex:

Forex Market Trends

Commodities:

Bloomberg reports: A year after the Vienna Agreement, OPEC has a new job. JWR’s Comment:  Oil may power the engine of global commerce, but it is credit that lubricates it.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day

“Circumstances short of probable cause for arrest may justify temporary detention for purposes of investigations. To justify an investigative stop, an officer must have specific articulable facts which, in light of his experience and personal knowledge, together with other inferences from those facts, would warrant the intrusion on the person stopped for further investigation. Thus, even in the absence of bad faith, detention based ‘on a mere hunch’ is illegal. There must be a reasonable suspicion by the officer that some activity out of the ordinary is occurring or had occurred, some suggestion to connect the detained person with the unusual activity, and some indication that the activity is related to crime. Where the events are as consistent with innocent activity as with criminal activity, a detention based on those events in unlawful.” [Emphasis added.] – Schwartz v. State No. 62416 (1982)

Preparedness Notes for Sunday – November 12, 2017

Today is the birthday of USMC Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph “Dan” Daly (born 1873, died April 27, 1937). He was one of only nineteen men (including seven Marines) to twice receive the Medal of Honor.

This is also the birthday of Corporal John Alan Coey (died 19 July 1975). He was the first American volunteer killed in Rhodesia.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

The following is another entry for Round 73 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. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value), and
  8. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

Hurricane Preparedness in the Sunshine State- Part 2 , by D.H.

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We are continuing to look at general preparations for a hurricane. Those of us in Florida are used to these, but many are not. In this article series, I’ve already covered the topics of the bug-out bag, sheltering in place, foods,water, and hygiene. Let’s move on, continuing with health, which is very important.

Health

Ensure you are in good health before the storm hits. My young daughter threw up at dinner two days before Hurricane Ivan hit in 2004. I made my wife take her to the doctor the next day; she was diagnosed with appendicitis and had an emergency appendectomy. If you’re not well, see a doctor. Emergency services will not be able to reach you for days after the storm passes because of debris and flooding, which clogs the roads.

Stock up on all your meds. This may sound like common sense, but many people run out of essential medications and have died because of it. The pharmacy may not open for days or even weeks.

I recommend every home have at least a basic first aid kit and the knowledge to properly use it. The Red Cross teaches basic first aid for a nominal fee. Many items, such as aspirin, bandages, anti-diarrhea meds, et cetera can be purchased at Wal-Mart or a local dollar store. Purchase these items as part of your normal preparation. Wash all clothes, sheets, towels, and dishes, and make everyone gets a shower before the storm hits. You will be sweating profusely over the next few days, and clean sheets smell good as you’re lying on them in the dark listening to the storm rip the shingles from your roof.

Continue reading“Hurricane Preparedness in the Sunshine State- Part 2 , by D.H.”

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”.

Illegal Veggies

A Florida appeals court has upheld Miami Shores, Florida’s veggie garden ban. Last year, a state court ruled that the city had the right to ban vegetable gardens. They believe the vegetable plants are unsightly. Thus, with the single stroke of a pen, the courts have now said that the city is well within it’s rights to ban you from growing your own food while allowing your neighbors to build pools, park boats/jet skis and even put in lawn gnomes. But you can’t have zucchini. The Florida constitution protects people from arbitrary restrictions on their right to use their own property, but the courts so far have been poisoned. Thanks to D.S. for the link.

#LeavePublicSchools

Baltimore schools are some of the most problematic schools there are. An investigative series from a Fox affiliate has been profiling many of the issues including passing students who have never even shown up for a class. One of the latest escapades is that 13 public high schools from around Baltimore (out of a total of 39) had no kids that were proficient in math in 2017. Zero. Nada. Zilch. Not a single student! Reader K.B. notes that you would be hard pressed to find a single high school in all of Asia with the same poor performance.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” – 1 Corinthians 15:50-52 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday – November 11, 2017

November 11th is variously known as Armistice Day, Veteran’s Day, and Poppy Day. It is the birthday of General George S. Patton, Jr. (born 1885, died December 21, 1945). It is also the birthday of Hugh Everett (born 1930, died July 19, 1982), the American physicist who first proposed the many-worlds interpretation (MWI) of quantum physics, which he termed his “relative state” formulation. And November 11th also marks Rhodesia’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI), in 1965. Remember Rhodesia.

Continue reading“Preparedness Notes for Saturday – November 11, 2017”

Hurricane Preparedness in the Sunshine State- Part 1 , by D.H.

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We, down here in the “Sunshine State”, just recovered from Hurricane Irma. It was a massive storm that covered almost the entire state. Floridians are used to hurricanes. We expect them every year, and most of the locals don’t freak out when the local weathermen starts predicting mayhem from a storm over 1,000 miles away. Don’t get me wrong; we’re prepared year-round and watch storms closely, but as one of the fastest growing states we have lots of newcomers who aren’t experienced with this annual weather phenomenon.

Hurricane Season

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30th. Since most survival sites tend to focus on apocalyptic events, it’s so much easier to get the whole family on board with hurricane preparedness than the collapse of civilization. So let’s start preparing.

Pre-Storm

Watch your local weatherman. Hurricanes should not catch anyone by surprise. If the hurricane is a Category 2+, if you live in a low-lying area or if heavy persistent, flooding rain is predicted and you may have to evacuate.

Bug-Out Bag

Have a bug-out bag prepared with essential meds, toiletries, change of clothing, snacks, books for you, toys for the kids, and all your important documents (i.e. passports, mortgage statements, DD-214’s, et cetera). These documents can easily be destroyed in a hurricane. Heed these evacuation orders from your local authorities; you don’t want to be a statistic.

Continue reading“Hurricane Preparedness in the Sunshine State- Part 1 , by D.H.”