Editors’ Prepping Progress

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As preppers work to make progress to achieve prepping goals, we took some actions this week too. The SurvivalBlog editors made some plans earlier in the week and now reflect upon these. Below, the editors share what we each accomplished. Please write to us in the comments and tell us what you did this week to get your preps in place and to be ready.

JWR:

Here in the American Redoubt, trees grow literally like weeds and if you don’t stay on top of it, you soon have a fire hazard. The chainsaw was wielded effectively, and we continue to put up firewood for the Rawles Ranch. The limbs and underbrush that was pushed into slash piles burned as well, and we are well on our way to keeping a fire-safe ranch and a supply of winter heat.

Sadly, we also had a set of eggs in the incubator and made the determination that none of them were viable, so out they went. We will try again soon though.Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

Journey To Self Prepping, The Long Hard Way, by B.H.

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Our journey towards prepping began approximately five years ago when my husband handed me a book called Patriots. Needless to say, he had been collecting all kinds of of things prior to my reading the book.

Husband a Firearms Instructor, Competitive Shooter, and Woodworker

My husband participated in many shooting competitions over the years and was a primary firearms instructor while in the military. He developed his skills and won many competitions. Then, he began reloading even to the point of making his own lead bullets from old wheel weights. He also had a full woodworking shop in our basement.

It seems “Enough!”

was the primary income provider and at times was not pleased with some of his purchases, as they seemed excessive. This did cause problems, because I began to complain, saying “Enough!”.Continue reading“Journey To Self Prepping, The Long Hard Way, by B.H.”

The First World War: A Turning Point in Global History

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100th Anniversary

2017 marks the 100th anniversary of when the United States became directly involved in the First World War. The Great War. By then the war had already been raging for three years. (The events leading up to the outbreak of war are fascinating. For further reading I suggest historian Barbara Tuchman’s book The Guns of August.) By 1917 the Western Front of the conflict had stalled into protracted trench warfare–war at its most gruesome.

This war consisted of massed artillery, machineguns, elaborate trenches, gas attacks, massive barbed wire entanglements, sapping, flamethrowers, and primitive tanks. This war was a veritable meat grinder that consumed an entire generation of European men. 11 million soldiers and sailors lost their lives to combat and disease by war’s end.. And, unlike the European wars of the 18th and 19th centuries where civilians had largely been spectators, WWI also took the lives of nearly 7 million noncombatants.

In retrospect, WWI was a major pivot point in human history. If it were not for the chaos caused by WWI, there probably would not have been a successful Russian Revolution, at least not in that decade. And if it were not for the punishing war reparations on Germany dictated by the pre-written Versailles Peace Treaty, there probably would not have been mass currency inflation in Germany, no rise of the National Socialists (Nazis), no World War II, no Holocaust, no division of Europe, and no Cold War. In many ways, we are still feeling the after effects of The Great War.Continue reading“The First World War: A Turning Point in Global History”

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.

Venezuela Crisis

Baby deaths soar in Venezuela crisis – This is what always happens when Socialism rules a nation! It may take longer or shorter, but HISTORY tells the truth! America is becoming a socialist nation, though still a very wealthy one. It will just take longer unless we change course, which to MY mind does NOT appear to be happening. This is primarily because Americans are no longer educated in the proper function of government. We do not know what our Founding Fathers knew, so if one wants to really know and understand economics and a free government one needs to be self taught. The books are out there! A good start is the reading of the novels of Ayn Rand and the works of Hayek and Von Mises (among others) to understand capitalism and economics. You’ll learn how money works! To understand the “other side”, Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals”, which is ruling the Democratic Party and many in the Republican Party. Hillary Clinton did her college thesis on this book! – H.L.

EMP

Alen Nitzberg interviewed Dr Peter Pry (Executive Director of the EMP Task Force on National and Homeland Security) on his show and discussed the background and current dangers of an EMP on our infrastructure. If you’re struggling to get a handle on this subject, this is a good interview to listen to. It is about one hour long. Thanks to B.B. for the link.Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:”

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.

These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.Continue reading“The Editors’ Quote Of The Day”

Notes for Friday – May 12, 2017

On May 12th, 1949, one of the first crises of the Cold War came to end when the Soviet Union lifted its 11-month blockade against West Berlin. A massive U.S.-British airlift had broken it.

At the end of World War II, Germany was divided into four sectors administered by the four major Allied powers: the USSR, the United States, Britain, and France. Berlin, the capital, was also divided into four parts, though it was located well within the USSR sector. The future of Germany was hotly contested among the allies. The United States, Britain, and France eventually united their sectors into one economic zone, which became the independent nation of West Germany. The Soviets withdrew from the council and formed East Germany. Likewise, Berlin was formed into two parts under separate rule.Continue reading“Notes for Friday – May 12, 2017”

Prepping on a Budget- Part 3, by The Newbie

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This article series is written to help people prep on a budget because an economic collapse is coming. Many people new to prepping struggle with where to begin. This article offer many ideas. We’ve covered a lot already, but there is more in this final part.

Oil and Fats

I haven’t done this yet, but I read you may can shortening. Oil has such a short shelf life before it goes rancid. If things really fall apart and you can’t eat without being totally self sufficient, you will use it all. I might try to use a food saver and canning jars for storing oils. I’d make sure they stay in the dark. Everything I’ve read gives us only a year or two with cooking oils.

Most people don’t know how to render fat. Those people who’ve hunted their whole lives might know, but I’m not sure they would. If you have a lot of meat stored, save the fats for cooking other things. I used to think bacon grease was seriously gross. It disgusted me to even think of saving it, if I even had bacon in the house. Now, the thought of a little bit of it in beans sounds better than plain beans. I found a link on here that sells canned bacon, cheese, and butter. It is now on our list.Continue reading“Prepping on a Budget- Part 3, by The Newbie”

Letter Re: Reliability of Stock Market Predictions?

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HJL:

I think prediction of a stock market crash are wrong.  The market is certainly inflated unreasonably and harmfully. They are right in that it is inflated unreasonably and harmfully. I believe the harm will manifest itself in the form of a general price level and not a crash. In other words, the DOW represents the new normal. Everything will rise to meet it and achieve equilibrium. It will be the inflation that the bankers want. The worst thing you can do is stay out. The second worst thing you could do if you are out is jump all the way in at one time. Ride the inflation or be crushed. – R.V.

HJL’s Comment:

I’m quite confident that the economy will continue it’s downward spiral. You are probably right. Barring any sort of outside influence, the congress critters and banksters  keep the system propped up and functioning. The transfer of wealth would continue. The middle class will continue to bear the brunt. The wild card is the outside influence.Continue reading“Letter Re: Reliability of Stock Market Predictions?”

Economics & Investing for Preppers

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 quirky “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor):

Precious Metals:

First of all, let’s look at some metals market analysis over at Gold-Eagle: Gold: Summer Doldrum Tactics

Commodities Economics:

Next, over at FX Empire comes this: Commodities Daily ForecastContinue reading“Economics & Investing for Preppers”

Notes for Thursday – May 11, 2017

On May 11, 1949, Israel was finally admitted into the United Nations. In the fall of 1948, Israel had applied for membership in the United Nations but failed to win the necessary majority in the Security Council. In the spring of 1949, the application was renewed. This time, armistice agreements having been signed between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon, Israel was admitted by 37 votes in favor, 12 against, with 9 abstentions.

Prepping on a Budget- Part 2, by The Newbie

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Costco Membership

Costco’s price for organic flour and bulk quality foods is unbeatable. However, the other things listed below are much less expensive at the regular warehouse. The Business Center carries both the higher gluten organic flour that is better for breads (red wheat) and the lower gluten/protein flour that is better for cakes muffins and pastries (soft winter wheat). I would buy these in addition to storing whole grains. It helps with your overall budget. Depending on how much you spend, it may benefit you to get an Executive Membership. If you have the money, it behooves you to do this regardless. If your rebate doesn’t come to what you invest in it, they will refund the difference. The membership prices are increasing by $20 in June. If you don’t have one now, it would be beneficial to invest in membership this month.

Costco Coupons

Costco runs coupons every month, so it is good to check. Once you buy a membership they send you the monthly coupons. It isn’t necessary to present them at the checkout. They are automatically deducted, unless it is a coupon code you have specifically for Google Express. If you already have a membership, you should have received a 25% off coupon up to $30 off of your first order when you join Google Express. These are just a few examples of the prices. There is no difference in the Costco prices online and in the warehouse, but the Business Center is a different story. They have to pay for diesel and pay the delivery fees, et cetera. It doesn’t look like there is hardly a markup at all, so this is understandable. They carry a lot of food items that aren’t available in the regular Costco.Continue reading“Prepping on a Budget- Part 2, by The Newbie”

Letter Re: EMP Protection Measures

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Hugh and James:

I’m missing something regarding EMP protection measures, and I could use some help.

I have researched EMP, how it’s created, and the common frequencies of EMP. I’ve looked into its relative intensity based on creation mode, altitude (in the case of nuclear devices), and the extended effects attributed to conductive networks. I understand what a Faraday cage is and how it works. And I’ve read numerous articles, lots of forum comments, endless opinions, a quantity of engineering documents, and several much learned evaluations on protecting against EMP.

The Problem

So here’s where I keep running aground: Protecting from EMP is, at its base, a simple affair. You provide a conductive shell around what one wishes to protect. Grounding that shell, or not grounding, is a subject of debate. However, my experience with electronics indicates that if the shell is doing its job, grounding it is not a problem. It may or may not be required, or even useful, to electrically insulate sensitive contents from the conductive shell. That answer depends on to whom that question is addressed. But consensus seems to indicate that it can do no harm.Continue reading“Letter Re: EMP Protection Measures”

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.

Wow! Mrs. Latimer informed me of this jewel. A self-proclaimed far left liberal writes about the accuracy of conservative social predictions and the refusal of college campus professors to even discuss their offenses to block conservative voices and debate. While he disagrees with conservatives about what is good and bad, he admits we have some things correct.The professor is concerned about the lack of discussion. The conservative voice is being shut out and no one is allowed to discuss it. Furthermore, he states that it would be difficult to be a conservative professor on today’s campuses, particularly in humanities and social sciences. What does that tell us about sending our young people off to college?

Excerpts:

“Social cons said that no-fault divorce would read to vastly higher divorce rates, and it did. Social cons said that ending the norm of the two-parent family would lead to more single-parent households, and they were correct. Social cons said that widespread access to birth control would lead to sexual licentiousness, and they were right. Social cons said that legalized abortion would decouple sex from procreation, and that happened. Social cons said that decriminalization of gay sex would lead to social acceptance of gay people, and so it was. Social cons said that social acceptance of gay people would lead to gay marriage, and that was true. Social cons said that efforts to end stigma against trans people would lead to a general rejection of the gender binary, and so it has… Again, these are mostly all good consequences, which is the difference between me and them.”

“The number of boilerplate conservative opinions that are taken to be too offensive to be voiced in the campus space just grows and grows, and yet progressive profs I know are so offended by the idea that they could be creating a hostile atmosphere, they won’t even discuss the subject in good faith.”

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

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day

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“There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat, And we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures.” – William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar