Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – August 29, 2017

Please continue to pray for everyone in Texas and Louisiana that are being pummeled by massive rains from tropical storm Harvey. It has been predicted that some folks will be stranded in their homes for many weeks because of flood damage to roads and bridges. This certainly brings the importance of food storage and water filtration into focus!

August 29th is a mournful day, as we remember the anniversary of the death of “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” – Isaiah 40:3. John, the Baptist, who heralded the first coming of our Lord and stood true to his belief in the face of death, was beheaded on this day in 29AD.

In 1862, the Battle of Bull Run in Virginia began, along with the establishment of the  U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

Radiation Issues In Nuclear Blasts- Part 1, by Dr. Bones of doomandbloom.net

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Although many don’t view a nuclear event as a likely disaster scenario, it’s important to learn about all the possible issues that may impact your family in uncertain times. Given the instability in the Korean Peninsula and elsewhere, the issue of nuclear blasts and the radiation they emit is a timely subject.

Understanding the Definition of Radiation

The quick definition of radiation is energy given off by unstable matter in the form of rays or high-speed particles. The following is some basic chemistry paraphrased from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC): All matter, including you, is composed of atoms. Atoms are made up of various parts; the central nucleus contains minute particles called protons and neutrons, and the atom’s outer shell contains other particles called electrons. The nucleus has a positive electrical charge, while the electrons have a negative electrical charge. Neutrons are, well, neutral. These entities work within the atom toward a stable balance by getting rid of excess atomic energy (called radioactivity). Unstable nuclei want to become stable and may emit energy; this emission is what we call radiation.

Types Of Nuclear Weapons

Until the recent missile launches by North Korea, most people were concerned about the use of “dirty bombs“ by terrorists. A dirty bomb is not technically a nuclear weapon. It uses conventional explosives to disperse radioactive material in the general area. Usually, the effect of the explosion causes more damage and casualties than the radioactive elements.

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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 solar eclipse videos shot in the American Redoubt States.

Idaho

Idaho officials reject bait hunting plan targeting wolves

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Behind the Scenes with Freedom Munitions. (They are in Lewiston, Idaho.)

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If you are looking for top quality yard play equipment for your kids, check out this family-owned Idaho company: Backyard Fun and More.

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Video: Total Solar Eclipse 2017 from Idaho Falls
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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”. I love “scientific studies”! Apparently coffee is the key to long life and happiness.

Occupy D.C.

Reader T.P. sent in this article detailing a movement that started in Charlottesville and is marching to Washington D.C. over a 10 day period. They expect to end the march on September 6th and the march will then turn into an occupy movement. There is no scheduled end date for the occupation. Of course, since it’s a snowflake march, you can bring bags and they will shuttle them for you so you can have access to them at the end of each day. We are still not sure what the goal of the march is. They claim anti-white supremacy, but it sounds more like an anti-Trump rally. I wonder who can take 10 days off of work to do this? Do they even have a job?

Firewood

Reader S.P. sent in this nineteen minute video on identifying different types of wood along with instructions on which ones are best to use and which ones to avoid for cooking. If you are considering using wood for heating or cooking, you’ll want to watch this video to get an idea of what resources are available in your area and what you can use them for.

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Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom.” – John F. Kennedy.

Springfield Armory’s Range Officer Elite Champion, by Pat Cascio

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The all-new and improved Springfield Armory Range Officer Elite is under review today, and Springfield really went out of their way to update/upgrade this line of fine 1911A1 handguns.

Springfield Armory 1911 Range Officer Review Plans

I’ve been a huge fan of the Springfield Armory line of 1911 handguns since the mid 1980s for a number of reasons. Their very first 1911s were mostly mil-spec in nature, and they were priced extremely “right”; they still are. Springfield Armory offers great value for your money. I had recently received the Springfield Armory full-sized Range Officer (R.O.)1911A1 for testing and review and ran quite a few rounds through it. I was all set to sit down and do my review on this fine handgun, until I got an e-mail from Springfield, announcing their Range Officer Elite line-up. I had to have one, and in a few days, one was in my hand. The Original RO review will be a little later in coming, as we want SurvivalBlog readers to know about the hottest and newest products first, if at all possible.

Favorite Handgun Question and Answer

People are always trying to nail me down as to what my favorite handgun is, and there is no easy or simple answer to this question. It depends a lot upon what your use will be for a handgun. In the case of a handgun for hunting big game, my answer would be different than my answer for plinking on a Saturday afternoon. However, when it comes down to it, my number one choice for self defense is still the grand ol’ 1911 pistol in .45 ACP. In particular, I like the “Commander-ized” version—a 4–4.25” barrel length. This sized slide/barrel just seems to balance better for me, and I can shoot it faster than the full-sized Government-sized 1911. And, to top it off, I much prefer a light-weight version with a frame out of forged aluminum, for weight saving, all-day carry.

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Recipe of the Week: Yeast, by Mama B

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This recipe is not mine, but I thought it would be of interest to your readers especially in a time when yeast is not readily available.

Ingredients:

  • 1 ounce hops (seed hops are available online)
  • 8 ounces flour
  • 4 ounces white sugar
  • 1 quart potatoes, mashed
  • 3 ounces salt
  • 3 quarts cold water

Directions:

  1. Simmer the hops and water together until the water is reduced to 2 quarts and 1 pint.
  2. Strain and divide the liquor, placing one half in a vessel with the flour, sugar and salt, and half in another vessel containing the mashed potatoes.
  3. Heat each portion twenty minutes, then stir all together, and put away to ferment.
  4. Shake it frequently. It will be ready for use in twenty four hours. Two tablespoons or half a gill will be sufficient for a quart of flour.

– from “The Little Gem Cookbook” 1882

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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  investing in rare books. (See the Tangibles section, near the end of this column.)

 

Precious Metals:

First up: Silver Prices in 2017: This Chart Shows Silver Prices Could Hit $100

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Cramer Would Invest 10% Of Power Ball Winnings Into Gold

Stocks:

Investors pull billions from US stocks in longest outflow streak since 2004

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And here is the latest over-weekend stock market news at Nasdaq.

 

Commodities:

Next, Jon Yeomans of  The Telegraph reports: Antofagasta on a roll as copper prices surge

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Nickel surges on strong Chinese demand, falling stocks

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Survival To Go, Revisited- Part 4, by JMD

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We have revisited my survival supplies carried on the go in travel, by airplane or otherwise. It’s been an extensive list. Now, let’s look at how we might use these in a survival scenario.

Survival Scenario

So let’s take a look at how this kit can support you in a potential travel survival scenario. Let’s say you’re traveling on business in New York City when the power goes out. You pull out your radio and start scanning to figure out what’s going on. You hear bits and pieces on various Ham, CB, and radio channels. Suddenly, you realize that a massive coordinated terrorist attack using explosives has apparently occurred. They’ve taken out the power grid for big chunks of the U.S. Experts are saying it’ll be weeks or even months before power can be fully restored.

You realize that in a day or two people will start panicking, looting, and rioting. They realize the food and clean water are running out, and they can’t access their social media accounts to complain. The police and National Guard are also trying to set up “temporary relocation camps” to keep everyone fed and sheltered, but they’re stuck in total gridlock. Since this is the People’s Republic of New York, you obviously don’t have a firearm. It’s late spring, and the temperatures are in the 70s-80s during the day and 50s-60s at night.

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Letter: Questionable Ammo in Storage

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HJL,

Just a quick heads up. As most like minded folks I’ve been storing food and ammo for some time now. Lately .22 ammo has been more readily available so my son and I decided to do a little plinking with our pistols. We each had two mags with our pistols that have been loaded for some time. When we started to shoot 16 of the 20 rounds didn’t discharge. After a bit we reloaded with some ammo that had been sealed and stored and had no problems.

The ammo in question wasn’t cheap quality, but rather decent grade. I’m planning on going through all my weapons that I have loaded and check to ensure the ammo will respond when I need it the most. I don’t know if this is a problem with .22 only or with any round that hasn’t been stored in an air tight container. Before someone asks; the ammo didn’t have any oxidation on it either. Thoughts? – K R in Kansas

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 2017 Eclipse reports continue to be sent in and some of our readers had some amazing experiences.

Medical

Survival Medicine will be having a couple of classes on “Survival Wound Care with Hands on Suturing and Stapling” coming up very quickly:

September 3rd, 2017 at the RK Prepper Show, Camp Jordan Arena in Chattanooga Tennessee at 9:30am and again on September 10th, 2017 at the RK Prepper Show in Knoxville Tennessee. You can find more details about these classes on their website.

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Also noted on Survival Medicines website in this interesting article. If you don’t have access to or sufficient Potassium Iodide pills to treat people exposed to radiation, a Povidone-Iodine solution (brand name Betadine – a common medical disinfectant you should stock anyway) painted on the abdomen or forearm daily should provide equivalent protection. Thanks to reader J.N. for the link.

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