Maven S.2 12-27x56mm Spotting Scope, by Thomas Christianson

With a bright, crisp, and crystal-clear field-of-view; lightweight; highly intuitive zoom and focus rings; an unbeatable warranty; and easily packable contours; the Maven S.2 12-27X56mm Spotting Scope is an outstanding optic for field, range, or home use.

It has an Abbe-Koenig prism, fluorite glass, and it is waterproof and fog-proof. It is made from Japanese components that are assembled in San Diego, California,. The scopes then undergo quality control in Lander, Wyoming.

The S.2 was priced at $1,050 at the time of this writing. (Full Disclosure: Maven is an affiliate advertiser of SurvivalBlog.com. SurvivalBlog earns a modest commission on the sales of any items that are derived from visits to the Maven site from clicks on the affiliate ad link at SurvivalBlog ). This price is by no means cheap, but it is reasonable for an optic of this quality. If you are in the market for a first class spotting scope, then I recommend that you consider this one.Continue reading“Maven S.2 12-27x56mm Spotting Scope, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: Pasta and Beans

The following recipe for Pasta and Beans (Pasta Fagioli) is from SurvivalBlog reader Callie B.

Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or less, to taste)
  • Salt (to taste)
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) canned chicken broth (or equivalent volume of fresh or frozen broth)
  • 2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • ½ cup of a small dry pasta such as ditalini, ditali, acini di pepe, small shell pasta, tubettini, orzo, or the old favorite: small elbow macaroni.
  • 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, with liquid (or equivalent volume of rehydrated beans — soak overnight, and then change the water and soak another  3+ hours, to de-gas them)
Directions
  1. Rehydrate the dry beans (if used), the day before cooking.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
  3. Add onion, celery, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, pepper flakes, and salt; cook and stir until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
  4. Stir in chicken broth, tomato sauce, and tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
  5. Add pasta and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
  6. Stir in undrained beans and cook until they are heated through — about 4 minutes.
SERVING

Serve it hot.

Chef’s Notes

Callie Says: “Good side dishes for this are fresh-baked bread, veggies of your choice, or a garden salad”.

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Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic was suggested by Avalanche Lily: Map of U.S. Gun Ownership Rates. (This map is courtesy of Visual Capitalist.)

The thumbnail below is click-expandable.

 

 

 

 

 

JWR’s Comments:

Take note that this data comes from the anti-gun website The Trace.  So I suspect that the figures are all skewed low.  When they are polled in telephone surveys, I assume that many gun owners hang up, or are reluctant to report their gun ownership.

You can see how strongly the American Redoubt region ranks. If Eastern Oregon and Eastern Washington were separate states, then their rates of gun ownership would almost surely also be at or near 60%. Correspondingly, the western halves of those states probably have a gun ownership rate below 40%.

I can see that Idaho has some catching up to do, to match Wyoming and Montana. Idahoans should buy or build more guns!

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Please send your graphics or graphics links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“…what I can say is that there is an alignment with all those who are willing to fight against socialism at the international level.

All those who want to fight against socialism at the international level are my allies. Because the enemy is socialism, the enemy is statism, the enemy is collectivism. And all those who are willing to fight that fight, we are all together.

Later we will discuss the emerging order, whether it will be more or less liberal, whether it will resemble classical liberalism or minarchism or anarcho-capitalism, but that is a second order discussion.” – Javier Milei

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — January 12, 2025

The Brazilian city Belem (the entrance gate to the Amazon River) was founded by Captain Major Francisco Branco on January 12, 1616. The photo of Belem above is courtesy of The Drinking Traveler.

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John Hancock was born on January 12, 1737. He was the first and certainly the most prominent signer of the Declaration of Independence.

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The British-Zulu War began on January 12, 1879.  British troops, under Lieutenant General Frederic Augustus, invaded Zululand from the southern African republic of Natal.

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Today is the birthday of Edmund Burke. (Born 1729, died 9 July 1797.)

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Reader M.B. mentioned this interesting history tidbit from the cia.gov website:
“On 12 January 1968, four North Vietnamese AN-2 “Colt” biplanes, painted dark green and modified to drop bombs, flew into Laos headed for a US radar facility that was providing critical all-weather guidance to American warplanes flying strike missions against targets in North Vietnam.  By chance, an unarmed CIA UH-1D “Huey” helicopter approached the site at the same time and gave chase with the onboard flight mechanic firing his AK-47 at one of the Colts.  After a 20-minute pursuit, the Colt crashed, thus earning the Huey’s two-man crew the distinction of having shot down an enemy fixed-wing aircraft from a helicopter, a one-of-a-kind victory.”

See:

and,
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Today’s feature article is a guest post by one of my consulting clients. It is not eligible for the writing contest judging. – JWR

We are seeking entries for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 116 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Thoughts on Farming – Part 6, by Single Farmer

(Continued from Part 5. This concludes the article.)

The number of hours required to complete an agricultural task has been in decline for over 100 years. This is one of the key concepts that you need to understand in order to have the best chance of surviving the future as these efficiency increases also are across many industries.

Time is not spread out evenly on a farm which is a problem from a labor perspective. There are many times in the life cycle of a grain farm where there is nothing to do, but wait especially with dryland (non-irrigated) farming meaning that you allow natural precipitation cycles instead of introducing irrigation through pivots.  There are some times during the initial stages of planting and the last stages when harvesting that there is too much to do in a given day given the needs of human operators.Continue reading“Thoughts on Farming – Part 6, by Single Farmer”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

News Report: Justin Trudeau is Depressed After His Ouster From Canadian Leadership

But He Can Earn The Praise Of The Citizenry, If He Volunteers To Be “MAID Of Honor”

News Links:

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

 

The Editors’ Quote of the Day: 

“Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

And did all eat the same spiritual meat;

And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.” – 1 Corinthians 10: 1-17 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — January 11, 2025

Today is the birthday of the late Gunnar Fridtjof Thurmann Sønsteby, who was born in 1918. He was the most decorated hero of the Norwegian resistance under the German occupation. Sønsteby was the leader of “The Oslo Gang” sabotage and assassination team that was directed by the Norwegian government in exile. They were trained and equipped by the British SOE. He died on May 10, 2012.  Sønsteby’s autobiography, titled Report From #24 is fascinating reading.  It was the basis of Nr. 24 — a fairly historically correct movie that was released in 2024.

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Today is birthday of big game hunter and writer Peter Hathaway Capstick.

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January 11th is also the birthday of Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804.)

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I just heard of the passing of singer Anita Bryant, at age 84. Though she is still vilified by the leftist/godless mass media as an “alarmist”, she made a genuine stand for righteous living. Her warnings about extending special rights to homosexuals were prescient. Today, 48 years later, we can in retrospect see that she was absolutely right about the moral decay in our nation, and how those trends were accelerated by “gay” and lesbian activists. Let me summarize the “”LGBTQ+” pushing, bluntly and tersely: 50 years ago, they demanded tolerance. 30 years ago, they demanded acceptance. 10 years ago, they demanded marriage equality. But, now, in the 2020s, they are demanding participation in their vile month-long celebrations, demanding adoption rights (sometimes with disastrous results) and they brag that they will groom our children into their “lifestyle.”  They are now coercing everyone. Some of this corercion is subtle, and some of it is overt.  Anita, you were right! – JWR

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Today’s feature article is a guest post by one of my consulting clients. It is not eligible for the writing contest judging. – JWR

We are seeking entries for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 116 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Thoughts on Farming – Part 5, by Single Farmer

(Continued from Part 4.)

The Economics of Farming
I often hear statistics that farmers receive 15 percent of a food dollar. That statistic really needs some examination in comparing it to previous generations. Back in 2016, we sold wheat in the $3.80 range and we were fortunate in that the official statistic for wheat for our area is $3.20 a bushel. I will be generous and use our $3.80 a bushel number: At that number, a pound of wheat is a little over 6 cents. Wheat is commonly used in bread, so an example that I often think about is how much of a loaf does the farmer get and that often demonstrates the difficulty in profitability.
For these purposes, I will say one pound or 1/60 of a bushel is the amount of how much wheat is used for the loaf of bread (although many bakeries use less than a pound of wheat flour per loaf, so they could bake more than 60 loaves to a bushel). In 1950, a loaf of bread was 12 cents and the family farmer would sell his wheat for 3.4 cents a pound receiving about 28 percent using that equation. Using the 2023 full year numbers as this is being written in late December 2024 before the complete numbers are available which likely are higher, the average price for a loaf of wheat bread was 2.54 dollars and we a family farm sold our wheat for under 9.5 cents a pound earlier this year receiving under 4 percent using that equation. The price we sold wheat actually declined in 2024, versus what we sold it for in 2023. There are a lot of people paying more than 2 dollars and 54 cents a loaf for bread further reducing a farmer’s percentage.

Continue reading“Thoughts on Farming – Part 5, by Single Farmer”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

This week I helped Lily complete the reorganization of our Hall/Pantry.  I discovered that I mail-ordered a few too many Sterlite plastic storage bins for the hall shelves, but the excess bins will go to good use in our workshop.

I split and stacked some more firewood.

At this stage of my life, most of my firearms acquisition and gunsmithing is for the benefit of our grandchildren. I just completed another M4-length .223 Wylde AR build.  For the first time ever, I used a 1/2″x28-threaded Kaw Valley Precision “MACH 3” Modular Linear Compensator.  I ordered that from Optics Planet. (They are one of SurvivalBlog’s affiliate advertisers.) I also ordered a few additional threaded MACH 3 body sections, for greater versatility.

These “linear compensators” have no baffles, so they are not classified as “suppressors” or “silencers” by the ATF.  But they do a great job of throwing sound forward, so there is less sound heard by the shooter.  By the way, I plan to order another one of these goodies to install on our SW .22 rimfire pistol. It has a now ubiquitous 1/2″x28 threaded muzzle. I’ve found that pistol is the one that I grab the most often for pest shooting, or putting down livestock. It has a high-mounted red dot sight, so the large diameter of the Kaw Valley compensator won’t be an issue.

Now, Lily’s part of the report…Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.

All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.” – Ecclesiates 9:1-7  (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — January 10, 2025

On January 10, 49 BC, Julius Caesar defied the Roman Senate and crossed the Rubicon, uttering “alea iacta est” (the die is cast), signaling the start of civil war and his appointment as Roman dictator for life.

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January 10, 1776: The “Common Sense” pamphlet by Thomas Paine was first published, advocating American independence.

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January 10, 1920: Following the inflationary  First World War, silver reached a record $1.37 an ounce on the open market.

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A Special Note From JWR: Please pray for everyone in the path of the Southern California wildfires! It was not just millionaire movie stars who’ve lost homes. This is now estimated to be the Costliest Fire Disaster in U.S. History.  I predict that its farthest-reaching effects will be on the insurance industry.  We’ll probably see some rates soar, and entire segments of the nation’s populace denied insurance coverage. This may not bode well for rural preppers living in forested regions.

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Today’s feature article is a guest post by one of my consulting clients. It is not eligible for the writing contest judging. – JWR

We are seeking entries for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 116 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Thoughts on Farming – Part 4, by Single Farmer

(Continued from Part 3.)

The Future of Farming

The smallest of agricultural tools demonstrates the largest of problems in farming today. Small funnels are often thought of as almost disposable, but this one and its sticker saying the price survived all of these decades to become a component in this discussion. The funnel is from 1977 when my dad was young long before I was born. It was 59 cents. A comparable funnel today is around 5 dollars. Let us call it almost a ten to one ratio because you have in many states to add sales tax. Corn prices back in 1977 were about $2.30 a bushel. Corn prices 40 years later were $3.61. (I recently had a quote for corn at $4.30 a bushel.

The highest that corn sold for is a little under $8.50 a bushel back in 2012 due to some serious weather issues and decreased production forecasts.) Farmers were selling corn a little over 50 percent more 40 years later while purchasing equipment that could have been 1,000 percent more. Even with increased yields with improved varieties, this is simply not sustainable. Every piece of agricultural equipment that I can think of is higher in that time span. Back in 1977, a 125 hp tractor was about $20,000. Something comparable today can be over $100,000. Even larger tractors can easily cost a million dollars today. There is a lot of truth in the joke of how to make a million dollars farming: start with two million.  There is still money to be made for the most efficient farms, but it requires people to have an understanding about business, weather, and history as much as it is about equipment.Continue reading“Thoughts on Farming – Part 4, by Single Farmer”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we examine the prospect of new tariffs, starting in 2025.

Precious Metals:

From BullionVault: Volatility Hits Gold and Silver Prices on ‘Tweak’ to Trump’s Trade Tariffs.

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Reuters reported on Tuesday: Gold pares gains as dollar rebounds following US jobs data. Here is a key quote:

“Uncertainty surrounding the tariff policy in the run up to Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20 has fuelled concerns about future moves in U.S. policy.

Investors have been pricing in a scenario where proposed tariffs could inflame U.S. inflation, limiting the Fed’s ability to cut rates and thereby pressuring gold.”

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Here’s How Tariffs Could Impact the Precious Metals Market”

Economy & Finance:

Tariffs on the move? A guide for CEOs for 2025 and beyond.

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How proposed tariffs could reshape U.S. economy and global trade in 2025.

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David Haggith:  The Trouble with Tariffs and the Economic Nuclear Bomb, Part Two.

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A good background piece from Morgan Stanley, published back in November: Unintended Consequences: The Economic and Corporate Trade-Offs of Tariffs.

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From the statist/globalist perspective of Global Finance magazine: Bracing For A Tariff War.

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Reported by CNBC on Wednesday: Fed officials are worried about the inflation impacts from Trump’s policies, minutes show.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”