Notes for Thursday – December 08, 2016

Next Level Training is having a winter sale with a 10% discount on any SIRT (Glock laser training pistol) order, and they will throw in a kit that contains two extra magazines, a soft carrying case, and shooting glasses.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 68 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $15,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul PMAG 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $2,400 value),
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  8. An infrared sensor/imaging camouflage shelter from Snakebite Tactical in Eureka, Montana (A $350+ value),
  9. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  10. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A custom made Sage Grouse model utility/field knife from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  3. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  6. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  7. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  8. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a $125 Montie gear Gift certificate.,
  9. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value), and
  10. Fifteen LifeStraws from SafeCastle (a $300 value).
  11. A $250 gift certificate to Tober’s Traditions, makers of all natural (organic if possible) personal care products, such as soap, tooth powder, deodorant, sunscreen, lotion, and more.

Round 68 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.

Prepping for a Five Star EOTWAWKI Experience- Part 1, by T.H.

Prepping for the apocalypse, whatever its form, is an important task. Depending on how the Schumer hits the fan, it may be necessary to have 20, 30, or more years of supplies laid up for you and your family. The easiest and most cost effective way of doing this is to buy large quantities of stable, storeable food products, such as rice, beans, grains, pastas, and other dried items.

Once you’ve taken care of the bulk of your preparation, it becomes time to focus on the level of comfort of your preparation, because let’s face it rice and beans can only take you so far. Think about this: thirty years of plain rice and beans will keep you alive, but you have to eat plain rice and beans for the next 30 years.

Variety, it’s the spice of life, right? You prep a variety of weapons and ammo to meet different needs. You prep band aids for cuts and field dressings for GSW’s. There is no reason not to prep a wide variety of food products, too. It will help ensure your health, your sanity, and your survival.

In my previous submission I discussed the need to stock up on herbs and spices when preparing your food stores. There are many reasons, but the two most important I think are morale and health. Herbs and spices can help alter the flavor of your rice and beans, bring some variety to your daily life, and will even help your group maintain a higher level of health. After all, the first doctors were herbalists, and the first medicines were herbs and spices. In this submission I will expound on this idea, widening the idea to include dozens of flavors and products, so that you too can include healthful, delicious, cost effective, long lasting, and multi-purpose food products to your pantry.

Prepared Foods Are Made To Store; Dried, Pickled, Salted, Cured

The first thing to remember is that most of the world’s great food products are inherently made to be stored, either dried, pickled, salted, and/or cured. These are the words of the gourmet culinarian as much as they are the devoted prepper. In times past, everyone was a prepper because that was how you lived; you worked, you produced, you stored, and along the way we learned to appreciate the unique flavors and processes that have become the buzzwords of modern 5-star cuisine.

Mustard

I’m going to start with mustard, because it is one of my favorite culinary products and leads me into ketchup, which is another one of my faves. Mustard is one of the most useful culinary products in the kitchen and even has application outside of food preparation. In terms of food science, mustard is an emulsifier. This means it breaks down water tension and allows the mixing of oil and water. In the kitchen, this process is used to emulsify salad dressings so that they don’t separate, to make mayonnaise, hollandaise, and many other sauces, as well as to add flavor. A teaspoon of mustard, dry or prepared, is enough to emulsify between two and three cups of vinaigrette; a tablespoon or two is enough to make that vinaigrette into Dijon Vinaigrette.

There are a wide variety of mustards and each has a unique flavor and application. Yellow mustard, such as French’s, is great for basic uses and for emulsification. It’s great in deviled eggs and tuna salad. Add to this a few jars of Dijon (French flavor profile, which can also be substituted anywhere a recipe calls for yellow mustard), spicy brown, like Guldens (German/European), German-style spicy senf (no better mustard in my opinion, if you like it hot), and a Chinese variety. Each of these will cost $3 to $5 dollars for a name brand jar about 12 oz and will last for decades unopened and many years opened. In order to maximize your mustard prep, I recommend adding ground dry mustard as well as dry mustard seeds, both brown and yellow.

Cooking Tips: Use mustard in marinades for meats, especially game meats and fowl. It can also be used as the “glue” that holds a crust or rub onto your meat. A tablespoon of Dijon, or the mustard at hand, in a pint of gravy turns it into Diane Style, a classic steak dish with mustard-mushroom gravy.

Ketchup (Mustard Is Really Ketchup)

I could segue into ketchup a number of ways, who doesn’t associate these two condiments together. I like to start out by saying the mustard is really ketchup. Yes, that’s right; it’s really ketchup. Let me explain. Ketchup, by definition, is a vinegar-based sauce with a single primary flavor ingredient– usually a vegetable product. Mustard is a vinegar-based sauce flavored primary by mustard seed– a vegetable product. Like mustard, ketchup is made to be stored and will last for decades unopened and for a ridiculously long time after opening. (It is basically pickled ripe tomatoes, salt, and sugar– what I call preserved tomatoes.)

Ketchup has a long and distinguished history as well, another reason why I like it. It dates back several thousands of years to Asia, where it was known regionally as ke-tsiapp, a sauce made of fermented fish similar to today’s Thai fish sauce. (Get a bottle of this, too; you’ll use it a teaspon at a time, and it’ll last you the rest of your life and help make delicious Thai and Vietnamese inspired cuisine.) It was “discovered” by Dutch, English, and Portuguese sailors during the eastward expansion. These fellas, sick of eating moldy hard tack and wormy salt beef, embraced the pungent sauce and its preparation, put their own spins on, took it back to Ye Olde Worlde, and now we have dozens of inspired sauce condiments, including Worcestershire Sauce and A-1 to thank for it. Ever wonder why the label says “Tomato Ketchup”? It’s because commonly made ketchups include mushroom and walnut among many others. One gallon of Heinz Ketchup will cost about $6 and can be purchased in #10 cans, plastic jugs, or bags.

Random facts: Ketchup is the world’s #3 condiment behind salt and pepper; the ketchup industry spends less on advertising relative to its income than any other food industry.

Ketchup Can Save Your Life. A typical one tablespoon packet of tomato ketchup has 20 calories, 125 mg of salt, 2 grams of sugar, lycopene (cancer fighting antioxidant) and trace amounts of necessary vitamins and minerals. A few of these in your pocket are the equivalent of a power bar, gel, or half of a pb&j sandwich and can mean the difference between making it out alive and completely bonking. I’ve used them myself after big bike rides when I ran out of other food.

The unifying theme between mustard and ketchup is vinegar and that is another area of your pantry that needs attention! The bulk of your vinegar needs will be met by white distilled vinegar, but it is not the only one you need. It has the highest acid content of any commercial vinegar, the most neutral flavor, and is widely used in preservation, pickling, and canning. After this you are going to need a number of other vinegars, each of which imparts a unique flavor, has unique uses, and special flavor profiles.

Vinegars

The next most commonly used vinegar is cider vinegar, made from apples. It is a high acid vinegar, has a potent flavor, and is also good in pickles and basic vinaigrettes. After this, go after wine vinegar, both red and white, and splurge a little. Avoid the cheap $2 brand, and go for the $3 or $4 brand. You will notice a difference. These are very good for vinaigrettes and to go on sandwiches, like subs, hoagies, grinders, po’boys, heroes and Dagwoods. Also good for marinating cucumbers or onions to go on the table.

Recipe Tip: Take a 1-gallon jug of Apple Cider Vinegar and remove 1 cup; reserve that for another use. To the jug add 2–4 tablespoons of crushed red pepper or whatever dry chili product you have, adjusting heat to taste, 1 tablespoon of dry garlic, 1 tablespoon of dry onion, and ½ cup of brown sugar. Shake vigorously and then allow to sit, until you are ready to use it, and voila! You have Eastern NC BBQ sauce great for marinating, brushing on to grilled meats (that monster boar you shot last fall?), and sprinkling on cooked foods.

After this the options for vinegar open immensely, but I will pick Balsamic as the next choice; it is well known, can be found in any grocery store (usually several brands and qualities), and is relatively low cost. It is good in vinaigrette, marinating vegetables, marinating meats, and is really good served with cheese and fruit. To serve with cheese or fruit, I recommend a higher quality that is thicker, sweeter, and has a better flavor; for general use, get a lower quality. Other vinegars that are useful to have include Sherry vinegar (adapts well to Asian and European style flavor profiles), Champagne Vinegar (excellent for dressings or applications using raw vinegar ie cukes, onions etc), Rice Wine Vinegar (great for Asian flavor profile, has the lowest acid and sweetest flavor, adapts well in many situations) and Malt Vinegar (Fish and Chips!, and other condiment situations).

Balsamic comes in two classifications and a number of subqualities. Those labeled Balsamic Of Vinegar Of Modena are made for commercial purposes and export. They may be blended with red wine vinegar or other and come in four levels or leafs. One Leaf being the lowest and good for everyday use, Four Leaves the highest and recommend for drizzling over fruit, ice cream, cheese and special recipes. One leaf varieties may cost $4 or $5 a gallon, Four Leaf may cost as much as $30 a pint. Balsamico Tradizionale is the real deal, top shelf balsamic made by slowly allowing reduced verjus, unfermented wine grape juice, to evaporate from within a sealed wooden barrel. This is not a true vinegar but an intensely flavored, sweet-acidic, syrupy grape juice with a flavor you will never forget. It can only be made using traditional methods, is aged for at least a dozen years, and must be judged acceptable before labeling. It’s only to be used with your besties; five ounces of 12-year-old may cost $30, the same bottle of 30 or 40 year Balsamico may cost upwards of $300.

Letter Re: Easy Fire Starting Article

Hugh,

I found the recommended easy fire starter posted a couple of weeks ago to be very interesting. That recommendation involved rolling 2-inch wide newspaper and soaking it in bees wax obtained from a toilet seal ring. My first attempt produced a marginal flame. I realized that I needed more wax absorption. On my second attempt, I used rolled up paper towel. This gave better but still just not adequate results. From the sight of the rolled up paper towel I came up with a better idea– tampons! As a 66 year old widower, I sucked it up and hid a box of tampons among the coffee and beer in my grocery cart. I also decided to use paraffin from candle wax. I tried a couple different techniques, but it is best I just list the procedural steps that worked:

  • I took several tampons out of the wrapper and out of the plastic holder.
  • The wax candles were from tall 2” diameter hurricane candles (Votive style) from the dollar store. I had a case on hand for post hurricane light.
  • I eventually used two candles for lots of starters. I found the best way to break the glass was with a gentle squeeze in a vice. (Okay! Use safety glasses and gloves, of course.)
  • The wax was melted in a tin can in a pot of simmering water. I initially tipped the can edge up and slipped a teaspoon under the edge to release bubbles and get better circulation under the can.
  • A soft drink box was prepared as a dryer support with one end cut out. Once all of the wax was melted, I took one tampon and looped the string over a bamboo grill cooking stick. A long fireplace match also works well.
  • Initially, just the string was dipped into the wax, then it was re-dipped followed by twisting the two strands together while maintaining the small loop in the end around the stick.
  • Set this aside for a couple minutes to cool and harden and prepare a few more, dipping the strings only. Slip two of the tampons on a bamboo grill stick or fire place match by the loop in the string.
  • Lower the two hanging tampons into the candle wax. They will float horizontally momentarily. Then they will swing vertical and sink as they release tiny bubbles.
  • After a few minutes, inspect and let cool just a few seconds. Replace the tampons into the wax again, if necessary. When they are fully saturated the cotton texture will be smooth wax and the size will be about 20% bigger.

  • Remove tampons (remaining on sticks) from wax and hang over empty box to cool and harden.
  • Repeat.

For a couple burn tests I laid them on the edge of a vertical concrete block with the wax string hanging down. The vertical “fuse” readily lights. The cotton end is next to burn. Within 30 seconds the flame propagates along the top and down the 2-inch length. The robust triangular flame will be two inches by five inches (or more) for TEN MINUTES followed my another five minutes of taper off flame. When blowing on the flame, it immediately recovered.

I also tried soaking them still inside the plastic holder. This works but prevents 20% expansion and produces 20% less flame in a side-by-side test. They also had to be cut out rather than pushed out as hoped.

Like the original author, I also was not a Boy Scout, but I was a juvenile fire bug and that led to actually being a proverbial “rocket scientist”– engineer. – Rocket Man

Economics and Investing:

Buy Silver…As It May Replace Gold As Money In India

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Video: Gold & Silver Investors: Will We See Windfall Profit Taxes Or Confiscation? Mike Maloney

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Finding Risk in All the Wrong Places as Trump Era Begins (Bear in mind that this is from a fairly liberal news outlet.)

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Forget Robots—People Skills Are the Future of American Jobs

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SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.

Odds ‘n Sods:

This property in Panama’s prepper expat country deserves special mention: Turn Key Prepper Paradise Ranch. (It is one of more than 250 listings over at SurvivalRealty.com.)

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Keep Shooting has just received a shipment of authentic USGI TCOP Tents for $229.95. These tents are what replaced the old two-man shelter half and are really fantastic tents.

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Concealed gun permits surge over 15 million, fight on for more – B.B.

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Alexa, Cortana, Siri and Google Home Record What You Say.What Happens to Your Data? I pray we, as a humanity, will use these new technologies wisely. – D.B.

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BMW traps alleged thief by remotely locking him in car. Sounds great, but if they can do this they can do it to anyone. Of course, the only thing keeping you in the vehicle is your reluctance to break a window. – DSV.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“I got a humpback mule, a plow, and a ‘tater patch, eggs that are gonna hatch someday. I got the Lord above and a good girl to love me. I’m the richest man in the world.”

lyrics from “The Richest Man in the World” sung by Eddy Arnold, lyrics by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant

Notes for Wednesday – December 07, 2016

On a Sunday morning, 75 years ago, America was caught sleeping. Then there was that September morning, in 2001. Let’s pray that nothing like those days ever happens again. – JWR

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Today, we present another entry for Round 68 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $15,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul PMAG 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $2,400 value),
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  8. An infrared sensor/imaging camouflage shelter from Snakebite Tactical in Eureka, Montana (A $350+ value),
  9. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  10. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A custom made Sage Grouse model utility/field knife from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  3. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  6. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  7. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  8. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a $125 Montie gear Gift certificate.,
  9. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value), and
  10. Fifteen LifeStraws from SafeCastle (a $300 value).
  11. A $250 gift certificate to Tober’s Traditions, makers of all natural (organic if possible) personal care products, such as soap, tooth powder, deodorant, sunscreen, lotion, and more.

Round 68 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.

Neophyte Survival Observations and Lessons from Hurricane Matthew- Part 2, by S.G. in Florida

The extended power outages in Florida after Matthew were due to downed power lines, mostly by wind-fallen trees. Hospitals and other essential services were given priority for power restoration. People who lived near these essential services were more likely to get power restored first. Your proximity to key services might be a good factor to consider when purchasing a home in a suburb or city.

After Hurricane Matthew, the city water was cut for an extended period due to the roots of fallen trees damaging city water lines. The two cases of bottled water we had bought for drinking would have run out within the week had city water not been restored. I do not think you can over estimate the need for potable water for survival. Multiple backup provisions should be made for this life giving substance. Looking back, we should have also utilized the emergency bath tub water storage that I had. The experience of Hurricane Matthew has made it clear that a source of raw water and water purification is absolutely essential for human survival. I plan on purchasing numerous rain barrels for water collection off of the roof and dual Berkey water filter systems for filtration.

When the city water was cut, the toilets would not refill in order to flush. We used rain water as a flushing tool. Simply pour the rainwater into the toilet tank and your toilet can then flush. Luckily, our neighbor had left out his large plastic garbage can and it had filled to the brim with rain water. A bucket located next to the toilet solved the flushing problem.

Looking back, in the case of sewage system failure, a provision for an outdoor toilet would be essential. A camping toilet should be purchased for this eventuality. Something like the Reliance Products Luggable Loo Portable 5 Gallon Toilet for $15 would seem to be ideal, since for $30 you could double your purchase under the two is one philosophy.

The most apparent effect of a power outage is the lack of lighting. It turns out that the inexpensive little solar lighting units were very handy. The little solar lights with built-in motion detectors would snap on the minute I walked by, needing the extra light to find my way. Technology can be a wonderful thing! As part of my regular preps, I had in storage a fine Coleman battery powered lantern for reading. Unfortunately, after the storm I could not find it. This emphasizes the need to have your preps organized for easy recovery. One item that was very handy was a battery powered head lamp. I would wear it just walking around the house for hands free lighting on whatever I was doing at the time.

After the hurricane, the kindness of strangers noticeably increased. Drivers actually obeyed the speed limits and would come to a full stop at broken stop lights, courteously observing the right of way of other drivers. Neighborliness increased. Our neighborhood pitched in together to clear the roads of fallen trees using chainsaws. How long this state would continue, if prolonged, is an open question. If a disaster is localized but long term prospects for recovery are slight, escape would be best accomplished during this interim period. Think ahead after the event as to how the situation unfolds and act when your judgement says to, before the situation becomes critical.

The criminal predators were out almost immediately. Several gun stores were targeted by thieves. Looters almost immediately appeared in the hardest hit neighborhoods, causing an increase in police patrols in those areas. Some neighborhoods in our immediate area had strangers knocking on doors late at night in the darkness when power was out. If someone answered, they would ask if their phone worked or some other innocuous question. Just as easily, this could have turned into a home invasion situation. Having a firearm readily accessible for immediate use, and that means in your hand, would be essential in combating the predators when power is out and services are non-existent. Leveraging your neighbors to watch for strangers would be an essential long-term asset when it comes to protecting your family in the long run.

Soon, the city water was restored and regular cold showers became a substitute for air conditioning. Next the power line workers, who had come in from all over the country to work, began restoring power. Once the roads became cleared and we started driving around, my wife would clap and cheer every power line truck that we drove by. These men (and yes, most were men) were professional and efficient. In our increasingly emasculated society, these strong utility workers should serve as a reminder as to the value of masculinity in crisis.

Private property owners quickly placed big plastic blue tarps on damaged roofs to protect their real estate investments. We also observed that diligent business owners were rushing to open their businesses to customers who needed food, coffee, groceries, and just about anything else people would desire. First to open were the small business owners, who personally manned their stores.

John Locke observed in his “Two Treatises of Government” that “property” was essential for man’s survival and co-equal to man’s life and liberty. This observation rings true; wealth protects lives. The resilience of our society is really a thing to behold. Freedom and capitalism have created great wealth and independence in America. The wealth of the American nation is what protected us from deprivations that descended on Haiti, where over 1,000 people were killed. In contrast, only 12 people were reported killed in Florida as a direct result of Matthew. I question even that media statistic. Two of the people in our local area were killed by carbon monoxide fumes from their portable generator, which they were running in their garage. Another fatality was due to a heart attack. The only one in our area that could be directly attributed to Matthew was a person who was killed by a falling tree while walking a dog. Wealth protects us with quality housing, protection from starvation and disease, protection from flooding, and in countless other ways understood only too well by our ancestors. Unfortunately, many people have forgotten these important lessons, and they wrongly advocate for wealth-destroying socialism and confiscation of private property.

Soon, the consumers were back to complaining again about having to wait in lines or that a particular establishment had not yet opened their doors. Incivility returned to the roadways as people rushed back to work. Neighbors are complaining that there are still trees and branches that have not been collected from the side of the road ways. People have already forgotten the lessons that were being taught.

If I am being honest with myself, I must admit that in the event of a catastrophic calamity– a true TEOTWAWKI event– Florida is not the place to be for two reasons: food and population. If resupply was not promptly available, I suspect that the huge Florida population would turn on itself, and the thin veneer of civilization would be stripped away very quickly. This was all too apparent when the masses raided grocery stores of food items. Long term, this resupply infrastructure would collapse and doom millions of Floridians to starvation. A good book to read on why this would be is When Money Dies: The Nightmare of Deficit Spending, Devaluation, and Hyperinflation in Weimar Germany by Adam Fergusson. In response, a one- or two-year supply of hidden food would allow us to subsist beyond the initial waves of starvation, that is if we could successfully defend our supply during the desperate periods. Long term, though, the lack of local food production would spell doom. I think this is a clear-eyed reason for moving your family to a Redoubt locale, if possible. Despite this realization, our family is just not in a position to move to the Redoubt. Where ever you might find yourself in emergency, a certain amount of faith and prayer is required. We will leave these things that we cannot control in God’s hands and do what we can where we can.

After the storm, we went to church to thank God for sparing us and our family. A direct hit on Florida could have been much, much worse. Matthew may have been just the reminder that we needed to better prepare for future eventualities. I pray that your readers will find this information helpful into making their families more prepared for disaster.

Letter Re: Keeping Preps Cool Naturally In Hot Climates With No Basements And High Water Tables

Even in very hot climates, below ground soil temperatures can be cooler than an air-conditioned house or garage. When you have a house on a slab, and dug root cellars are impossible because of high water table levels, you can still “build up” by putting in an earth berm and storing preps under it.

If you have enough land, you can make the berm part of decorative landscaping, or use it to increase privacy and reduce noise from the road. Even on smaller plots, you may be able to use an earth temperature moderating technique that is more common in the north: waterproofing the base of the house and building up an earthen bank on the north side of the house. In the north, this is done to reduce heat loss in winter and increase coolness in summer. ( In the south, it may still make the house a bit cooler and can be done on all sides.)

The berm can be left sloped or end in a vertical wall using railroad ties, concrete block, or other methods. In any case, you can then bury your preps under a couple feet of cooling soil. Even OPSEC is not too much of a problem if you are seen busily gardening and planting flowers (in pots, so they can be removed easily) over your preps. If anyone asks why you are building a berm around your house, the answer is “earth cooling to save air conditioning costs”, which is also quite true. You are Green! You may even encourage your neighbors to “go green” too. That way no one will notice that your house is different.

Sandy soil will make for better drainage and easier digging up of preps when needed. Why are you buying so many bags of sand? To improve soil quality, of course, so there are more flowers. Or if you wish, grow veggies.

Earth berming isn’t as handy as a root cellar or basement, but it’s much better than having all your food spoil after a week-long power outage when the air conditioning fails and the generator runs out of fuel.

JW from New York

Economics and Investing:

The biggest gold heist of all time

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Amazon introduces next major job killer to face Americans – DSV (I’m not sure this is a “job killer” any more than ATMs were, but it will interesting to see how this plays out.)

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Time Magazine Promotes Illegal Nonsense: Don’t Pay Taxes (If You Didn’t Vote for Trump)

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A Dire Warning From An Insider

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SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.

Readers’ Recommendations of the Week:

Reader C.J. writes in: “I just watched “Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America” (I read the book several years ago and of course the book is better). Although I am of Scots-Irish descent, it would at least be interesting for those that are not of Scots-Irish descent. The Scots history of independence from England and why they ended up in Ireland and ultimately America is ingrained in so much of traditional American culture. Religious freedom, hard working, self-reliant, “give me freedom or give me death” types.

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Recommended by Pat Cascio, SurvivalBlog’s Senior Product Review Editor: Museums, veterans keep memory of Pearl Harbor alive 75 years after attacks (6 minute video).

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Reader C.D. recommended The Earthling as a DVD worth watching and owning. A great job of acting by William Holden and Ricky Schroder. A dying man must teach a young kid to survive before the man dies in the Australian wilds. These two actors are the only ones on screen for 75% of the movie. The movie has many object lessons on surviving on your own.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Lloyd’s of London warns of devastating $2.6 trillion solar storm – RBS

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How To Grow A Lemon Tree From Seed No Matter Where You Live – DSV

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My Unhappy Life as a Climate Heretic – P.M. (Note: May require an account/login to view)

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Reader M.P. writes in:

“Tom’s Hardware just published an article about an attempt by the Canadian government to impose the “Snooper Charter” style of government surveillance on Canadian ISPs, VPN service providers, etc. Time for Canadians to speak up and fight Bill C-51! We in the US need to be constantly vigilant, too. It has been tried already and, just as happened with Hillary-care failing but then us getting Obama-care, those in favor of more intrusive government will keep trying until they get what they want.”

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Readers looking for retreat properties in Panama might want to take a look at http://survivalpropertypanama.com/

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Now those who seek absolute power, even though they seek it to do what they regard as good, are simply demanding the right to enforce their own version of heaven on earth, and let me remind you they are the very ones who always create the most hellish tyranny.” – Barry Goldwater

Notes for Tuesday – December 06, 2016

On December 6th, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, ending the institution of slavery. “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” With these words, the single greatest change wrought by the Civil War was officially noted in the Constitution.

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Don’t forget, Ready Made Resources has a very limited supply of Knight Vision AN/PVS-30 Night Vision Weapon available. These have seen action in the Gulf but are “like new” or have been refurbished. Normally over $11,000, you can get them for under $5000. What a Christmas gift!

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Today, we present another entry for Round 68 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $15,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value),
  3. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  4. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  5. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  6. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul PMAG 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  7. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  8. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  9. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  10. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value),
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  8. An infrared sensor/imaging camouflage shelter from Snakebite Tactical in Eureka, Montana (A $350+ value),
  9. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  10. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A custom made Sage Grouse model utility/field knife from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  3. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  6. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  7. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  8. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a $125 Montie gear Gift certificate.,
  9. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value), and
  10. Fifteen LifeStraws from SafeCastle (a $300 value).
  11. A $250 gift certificate to Tober’s Traditions, makers of all natural (organic if possible) personal care products, such as soap, tooth powder, deodorant, sunscreen, lotion, and more.

Round 67 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.