SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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Here is SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt. This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. We also mention companies of interest to preppers that are located in the region. The emphasis this week is on the new Survival Maps available at Northern Redoubt.  (See the Region-Wide Section, near the end of this column.)

Idaho

First, I’d like to direct your attention to a short piece over at Redoubt News: Scotchman’s Peak: Who Really Is For Idaho?

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Here is some commonsense “anti-hype” post at AmericanRedoubt.com: Apocalyptic Earthquakes in Idaho?

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The Couch Prepper, by J.S.

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There are many types of preppers, including the couch prepper. How many of us “preppers” have sat behind a computer screen and researched the newest and greatest AR-15 accessory that will ensure our survival for the coming “collapse”? I’m sure most faithful readers of this site have put into practice some form of prepping. Maybe that means you have bought a few extra cans of food or purchased that first firearm and some ammo to go along with it.

Or maybe you fall in to the camp of focusing on a certain aspect of prepping (i.e. that amazing gun collection you have now). Some have the “I have 3,000 rounds of ammo and I am going to live off the land” mentality. Possibly you are completely self-sufficient and are prepared for any number of different scenarios. But in reality, I am willing to bet the average prepper is somewhat like myself.

Being the Average American

I am the average American with the stereotypical wife, two kids, and very modest income. I fully believe that the TEOTWAWKI awaits us in the not so distant future. My bet is that it comes in the form of an economic collapse, but others predict some type of natural disaster or health pandemic. And like others, while I believe the collapse is imminent and unavoidable, I try to balance my prepping mentality with that of carrying on a “normal” way of living.

I don’t want to spend every single dime of discretionary income I have on bullets, beans, and band aids. I am constantly trying to find the balance between adding to my preps and providing my family with as many of their desires as is fiscally appropriate. The beach vacation will not be skipped  to add six month’s worth of freeze-dried food to my larder. With all of that said, that leaves what I believe is a large group of people, myself included, in the “somewhat prepared” stage.

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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 rugged laptops.

Books:

The Old Farmer’s Almanac – 2018

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The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

Movies and Television:

The Real Inglorious Bastards. (A documentary about an OSS team that parachuted into the Tirol region, during World War II.) Now available on DVD, or free download for Amazon Prime members.

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Stone of Destiny. Also available for free download for Amazon Prime members.

 

Music:

Dougie MacLean: Inside the Thunder

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Holding Up Half The Sky: Voices Of Celtic Women II

 

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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”. More Hurricane News from both Irma and Harvey today.

Reason #4098 to Remove Your Child from Public School

Survivalblog reader D.S. sent in this article where an entire section of 75 students was forced to undergo invasive blood and alcohol tests because school officials found a single beer can under the stadium. The mass of forced tests overwhelmed the small medical facilities of the town. At least one school board candidate understands the issue though. They may desire to protect the students from underage drinking. But they have an obligation to protect the rights of the students as well. As he put it: “When the accused-but-innocent outnumber the guilty 16 to one, we probably did it wrong.”

Hurricane News from Irma

Some car owners found out the hard way that electric cars have some serious drawbacks. Aside from the fact that they really are not environmentally friendly, they just don’t have the range of gas powered vehicles. Many were stranded on the side of the road because they ran out of power. That is until Tesla gave them a free upgrade. It turns out that many of the cars were handicapped by the factory to use only 75% of their available power. The factory was able to remotely upgrade the vehicles to allow them to continue on. That bothers me on many levels including the selling of handicapped hardware and remote access of the cars.

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Preparedness Notes for Monday – September 11, 2017

September 11th is of course the anniversary of the 2001 Al Qaeda attacks on the U.S. , but it is also the anniversary of the Benghazi Embassy attacks, in 2012. (Those events were recounted in the recent Hollywood film 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.) Please remember the sacrifice of J. Christopher Stevenson, Sean Smith, and CIA (former Navy SEAL) agents Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty. Between them, Woods and Dohery reportedly dropped at least 60 of the attackers. Please also remember the spineless worms in Washington, D.C. who decided to not back up the embassy staff when they were in dire need of help. Eventually, they will pay for that. Time wounds all heels.

Valley Food Storage, by Pat Cascio

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While there are many different types of “survival foods” on the market, ranging from military MREs to freeze-dried and dehydrated plus any number of types of off-the-shelf foods that last a long time, today we are looking at dehydrated foods from Valley Food Storage.

Survival Foods

Having been a Prepper since I was a little tyke, I’ve tasted all manner of “survival foods” over the years. Some were better than others and some much, much better that others. Then we have some that aren’t very tasty, but they will keep you alive. My family and I are always on the lookout for something new to try and add to our food stores, and we make a point to eat what we store. I’m not a very picky eater, but some would say otherwise.

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Recipe of the Week: Hamburger Soup, by R.T.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp basil
  • 1/4 tsp seasoned salt
  • 1 envelope onion soup mix
  • 3 cups boiling water
  • 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 cup sliced celery
  • 1 cup sliced carrots
  • 1 cup macaroni, cooked and drained
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

  1. Crumble beef into a crockpot.
  2. Add pepper, oregano, basil, seasoned salt, and dry soup mix.
  3. Stir in water, tomato sauce, and soy sauce; then add celery and carrots.
  4. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
  5. Turn the control to high. Add cooked macaroni and Parmesan cheese.
  6. Cover and cook on high for 10 to 15 minutes.
  7. Serve

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Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:

Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? Please send it via e-mail. Thanks!

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 recent massive Equifax Hack attack. (See the Troubling Trends section, near the end of this column.)

Precious Metals

The first 26:20 of this 33-minute mini-documentary is well worth watching:  Silver vs. The World (Why I Went ALL IN On Silver) His reasoning is sound.  If you don’t quite grok it, then watch the first 26:20 a second time.

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Wall St., Main St. Look For Gold To Extend Recent Gains

 

Stocks:

Stocks, Dollar Slide as Irma Bears Down, Korea Threat Lingers

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Time for some crash protection as US stocks hit record overvaluation

 

Commodities:

OPEC Fails To Cut Oil Exports Below 2016 Levels

 

Forex:

The slide continues: United States Dollar (USD) To Canadian Dollar (CAD) Exchange Rate History. Are you hedging yet?

 

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Preparedness Notes for Sunday – September 10, 2017

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Please pray for everyone in the path of Hurricane Irma, and continue to pray for those already devastated by Hurricane Harvey.

On September 10, 1776, George Washington asked for a spy volunteer. Nathan Hale stepped up to the challenge of an intelligence-gathering mission in New York City. Unfortunately, the British captured and executed him. He is probably best known for his last words before being hanged: “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.” He has long been considered an American hero, and in 1985, was officially designated the state hero of Connecticut. It is good for us to remember that every American patriot and hero from the times leading up to and during the American Revolutionary War would have been considered traitors to the crown and would have suffered much the same fate as Hale had America not won her independence.

What We See And Believe Is Not Always Reality, by Old Bobbert

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Let’s talk about reality and what we see and believe, but just for a moment imagine this scenario. Visualize the following presumably safe evening event at your home one day soon.

A Grateful Situation…Somewhere

You are reflecting on the terrible situation in (name any major city, state, or area) and you are very grateful that your home area is not severely affected by that power grid outage somewhere else in the country, specifically about 1,000 miles away from your home. Your area power system is functioning just fine. You’re feeling really bad for that area as you watch the video news after a pleasant evening meal. Your older children are teasing one another while working on homework. Your younger children are busily falling asleep watching television. As you see the videos of hospitals not accepting additional patients and wrecker trucks pulling cars off of the highways where they were abandoned when their fuel tanks went dry, you will be grateful! Remember that there will always be trials!

You are safe and you are an experienced and confident prepper. You helped to organize last year’s preparedness expo, sponsored by the power company and the city water division. Your name was on the brochure as an area preparedness leader. Your family feels safe, well prepared, and well protected. Dad and Mom know their stuff and are fully prepared if the power grid down event ever visits your area.

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Letter: Well Water Pump Options And Alternatives

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Hello JWR, HJL, and fellow readers,

I truly appreciate the info my family and I have gleaned over the years from SB. It has become one of our most trusted sources of info as we have been embarking on our self-sufficiency. Now, on to my question that I believe could be beneficial to other readers. (I have searched the site, but no recent info came up.)

I have been researching water well hand-pumps. Bison Pumps has great customer service and so far I am leaning towards them as my grid-down water retrieval solution from my well. Their product appears to be quality made where others seem to be designed more in an aesthetic nature, rather than truly functional and hard-wearing for daily use. If anyone has experience with Bison or another well pump, please share your experiences. For folks who are in warmer climates, freezing pipes aren’t an issue, but here last year we had multiple days where temps dropped into the negative teens… needless to say, ensuring that water is accessible while keeping pipes from rupturing is of paramount importance!

Additionally there is another product called the “earth straw” by a company named FloJak. This doesn’t appear to be a permanent solution, but rather an emergency item. Does anyone have any experience with this product or another solution to water retrieval? I don’t have a pond and the closest river is about a mile away. – S.H.