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”. As part of today’s focus on the Public School system, take a look as some of the current headlines under the “Public Schools” header below.

Venezuela

Venezuela’s opposition party called a nationwide strike for today in an attempt to keep Maduro from rewriting the country’s constitution. They are hoping that this will help force Maduro from office through early elections. Of course, the expected response will be stepped up confrontation and violence in the streets. In the meantime, food shortages continue and the people suffer. Yep, that’s socialism for you.

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Guest Post: So Why Would You Do Tactical Training?, by David

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“So why do you do this tactical training stuff?” This is a question I get asked from time to time.  Sadly, the answer does not lend itself to a sentence or two.  Let me lay out my premises and then some conclusions.

(This article comes from David, who is a multi-class MVT alumni. He is the organizer of the Idaho Classes in 2016 and 2017. And MVT says, “We have already scheduled Idaho May 2018.”)

Assumed Role

In our family, I am literally the last man standing of my generation.  Since I am no longer immersed in pursuing “the rat race”, I have time to contemplate the long-term future and security of our children and grandchildren.  Our kids are busy with their careers and families.  Put differently, while I fervently hope bad times will not come knocking, I am the one most inclined to contemplate and plan for those “unlikely but very bad” scenarios.

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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 single malt whiskey. (See the Tangibles Investing section, near the end of this column.)

Precious Metals:

First up: Lower Fed rate hike chances Gold price impact

o  o  o

Next, it looks like the price of gold may be breaking out of its downtrend.

Commodities:

And over at OilPrice.com: The Only Way OPEC Can Kill U.S. Shale

o  o  o

North Korea’s Fuel Prices Soar After China Suspends Exports. (After China’s National Petroleum Corp. halted sales of fuel to Pyongyang, North Korean gasoline and diesel prices have jumped substantially.)

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day

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“You can say ‘stop’ or ‘alto’ or use any other word you think will work but I’ve found that a large bore muzzle pointed at someone’s head is pretty much the universal language.” – Clint Smith, Founder of the Thunder Ranch firearms training school

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – July 18, 2017

July 18th, 1954 is the birthdate of Ricky Skaggs, an American country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, mandocaster, and banjo.

o o o

We are coming into the homestretch of Round 71 of SurvivalBlog’s Writing Contest. It’s time to finish up those articles and e-mail them to us.  This is a merit-based competition, with more than $11,000 worth of prizes awarded bi-monthly. It is not a game of chance!

A Backpacker’s Perspective on Bugging Out, by Z.M.

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I like to backpack and want to share my perspective on bugging out. I’ve done hundreds of miles out on the Appalachian Trail and have spent a good number of nights out on the trail in the woods as a result. Having the wrong gear while trekking out for any length of time makes life pretty miserable.

Bugging In or Bugging Out, With a Comprehensive List

With prepping there is a lot of debate on whether one should bug-in or bug-out post-disaster. The answer to that obviously depends upon not only the situation but how well prepared you are with tangible assets and outdoors skills as well.

I’ve seen a host of writers, who talk about bugging out, give their “comprehensive lists” with what you’ll need. But, to me, it is readily apparent that very few of these writers have ever spent a night out in the woods.

If somebody did attempt to take all of the unnecessary junk itemized on those lists out into the woods for any distance, they would quickly discover that life is pretty miserable because it’s impractical to lug around the amount of stuff that was recommended in many of those lists.

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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.  Today’s special focus is on private military veteran support organizations. All of these are in the American Redoubt.

Idaho

The Inland Northwest Disabled Veterans Sports Association organizes several sports events each year. Many of them are shooting events in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

o o o

Idaho Horse Therapy provides equine-assisted psychotherapy for veterans with PTSD.

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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”. Given the tumultuous political landscape and the deeply divided America, the time may draw near where you have to fight against those who wish to enslave you. Check out the entry “Forest Brothers” below.

Forest Brothers

After the second World War, a new type of war emerged. Soldiers from across the Baltics who had fought on both sides of the war disappeared into the forests to wage a bloody guerrilla war against the occupying Soviet forces. The Forest Brothers — Fight for the Baltics is a short Docu-drama on YouTube that tells the story of these courageous people. When the time comes…

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day

“Always remember the difference between economic power and political power: You can refuse to hire someone‘s services or buy his products in the private sector and go somewhere else instead. In the public sector, though, if you refuse to accept a politician‘s or bureaucrat‘s product or services you go to jail. Ultimately, after all, all regulations are observed and all taxes are paid at gunpoint.” – Rick Gaber

Preparedness Notes for Monday – July 17, 2017

July 17th, 1889 was the birthdate of Erle Stanley Gardner. He was an American lawyer and author. Though best known for the Perry Mason series of detective stories, he wrote numerous other novels and shorter pieces, as well as a series of nonfiction books, mostly narrations of his travels through Baja California and other regions in Mexico.

The best-selling American author of the 20th century at the time of his death, Gardner also published under numerous pseudonyms, including A.A. Fair, Kyle Corning, Charles M. Green, Carleton Kendrake, Charles J. Kenny, Les Tillray and Robert Parr.

CRKT/Ruger Hollow-Point Folder, by Pat Cascio

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Today, we are taking a look at the CRKT/Ruger Hollow-point Folder. It is a Ken Onion knife, and I’ll have more on that a little later.

Knives Are Tools

I love knives, all knives, big and small. They all have a use. I especially love well-made knives, because I don’t have a lot of use for junk knives. That is why our readers just won’t see me wasting my time reviewing junk knives. A knife is a tool, first and foremost. Many people forget that. Many claim that the knife is the first tool ever invented. I’m sure those first knives did not resemble what we consider a knife by today’s standards. But still, it did the job it was designed for— cutting!

Gun Companies Make Guns But Outsource Knives

Many gun companies offer up some knives with their name on it. And no matter how hard I try to convince people that those gun makers are not making those knives, they refuse to believe me for some reason. Gun companies are in the business of making guns! Knife companies are in the business of making knives! The machinery involved in making guns and knives are entirely different. So, that’s why companies that specialize in manufacturing certain products make those products and nothing more. One example is Smith & Wesson (S&W) handcuffs. They have been the first choice for law enforcement for many years. However, S&W doesn’t make those handcuffs. They are made by a company that specializes in this type of product and simply stamps the S&W name on the cuffs.

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Recipe of the Week: Basic Bread, by P.B.

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I have been using this basic bread recipe for about 20 years and continue to experiment with different ingredients and techniques. My favorite is still using the basic ingredients, letting it cool overnight, and slicing it for toast the next morning. My neighbor’s like it also.

Ingredients:

  • 4 to 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour *
  • 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons of granular yeast
  • about 1 3/4 to 2 cups of warm water **

May also use the following items (examples):

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