Notes for Wednesday – October 19, 2016

October 19th is the birthday of three notables– the late Alexander Zeisal “Zus” Bielski (born 1912), investor Jim Rogers (born 1942), and James Howard Kunstler (born 1948). Kunstler is well known to SurvivalBlog readers as the author of the novel World Made by Hand and the nonfiction book The Long Emergency.

A fictionalized portrayal of Zus Bielski is seen in the movie Defiance. This dramatic movie was loosely based on the excellent book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec.

o o o

October 19th also marks the anniversary of Operation Gatling–the famous  “Green Leader” raid in which Rhodesia attacked ZIPRA (Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army) in retaliation for ZIPRA shooting down a scheduled passenger flight, Rhodesia flight 825, during the Rhodesian Bush War. Rhodesia suffered only minor casualties in the raid, but claimed to have killed 1,500 ZIPRA personnel as well as some Cuban instructors. Other sources claim that some of those killed were refugees camped near the border. Sadly, history does not seem to remember the two airliners shot down by the terrorists and the innocent civilians killed, but emphasizes the retributory Rhodesian strikes.

o o o

Today, we present another entry for Round 67 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First 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 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. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating an AquaBrick water filtration kit with a retail value of $250, and
  10. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. 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,
  2. A gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  3. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  4. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 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. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  9. 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 $245 gift certificate 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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value),
  8. 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
  9. Fifteen LifeStraws from SafeCastle (a $300 value).

Round 67 ends on November 30th, 2016, 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.

Training for Truly Defensive Driving, by K.W.

After a long day of work, where you had plenty of motivation to get your rear in gear and start working on your projects, you hop in the car for the drive home. As you grab 5th gear, good choice on driving a manual, and look over your left shoulder to merge on the highway as a truck 200 yards in front of you just dropped a huge pile of tree branches in your lane. You look ahead as you are merging and see that pile of branches! What do you do? Time is quickly going by, and so is the distance. Hitting this pile of tree debris just might disable your fancy Prius that gets so many miles per gallon, let alone the fact you may be injured severely. Hit the brakes and the driver that was only feet behind you as you merged might end up in the middle of your car. Instinct takes over in a situation like this. Your instinct was to physically lock up and slam on the brakes, you hit the pile of debris and the driver who was texting rear ends you causing major injuries sending you to the hospital in a Helicopter ride. Big expenses on medical bills that your insurance would only cover part of.

Situation normal for the trained driver.

As he hops in the Civic–almost the same miles per gallon as a Prius–bangs the shifter in 5th the same situation happens. Over the shoulder look to merge, a huge pile of nasty branches fall out of a truck ahead. The driver merges and then looks ahead to see the impending doom just yards from the bumper, his reaction is instinctive. His brain knows he just merged from the right, so that area is clear still. A Chicago box says the drivers memory, the driver’s hands that are gripping at the 9 and 3 o’clock positions aggressively apply right steering input and roll out of the throttle slightly to allow the front tires to dig out the turn. The brain allows the driver to stay in control to the right, gather the car as left steering input is applied sending the car around the pile of debris and safely back to the lane. The car texting hits the pile……

So how did the Civic driver maneuver around the brush pile so easily while the Prius driver plowed right into it? Autocross, that’s how. It feels like 100 percent pure madness behind the wheel of your car, yet it in a safe environment. The only thing that can be damaged is your ego.

I know, I know, you are an awesome driver and the magazine says your car will do 0 to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds. You have been driving for 30 years and always do well in winter.

How much time and money have you put into firearm training? Hopefully you have done some, right? How do you see yourself getting from your current home to your Bail Out location? We all drive a car at one point or another. We see all kinds of wild and crazy things happen on the road. Not one of us plans on getting into an accident, but what is it worth to help yourself stay out of one?

Looking at the reports of these “protesters” blocking traffic and causing traffic jams concerns me greatly. If there are people trying to get me to stop in the middle of the road or highway I believe I would see them as a Slalom! Just steer around them as long as it is safe to do so. How does one steer around objects in the road? just turn the wheel right? That is only partially right, you need to steer the car with your feet also. What does that mean? It means transferring weight to the wheels that you need traction on. It is really an art that is learned over time. You get can a very good idea on how it works quickly, but will take some time to get very good at. Front wheel drive cars that are so prevalent today work well with trail braking, this transfers weight to the front wheels and will allow very big steering inputs and keep the tires maintaining grip.

Tires! You need tires? How old are your tires? They have plenty of tread and will last a few more years, they are only six years old. Tires wear, and age. Old tires will have less grip than new tires. If you want to keep safe, keep quality and fresh tires on your car. Learn to read the date code on the sidewall. This is very important for all your tires.

We all have a non 4×4 automobile that is safe to compete at a local Sports Car Club of America  (SCCA) autocross. If you have a Civic or Accord, then that will do. A Camry or Avalon, yep. Almost any BMW, yes. All you need is a safe low center of gravity vehicle. Bring it out in the condition you normally drive it, as in you do not need special tires or other work done on the car. You will need to ensure you remove all loose items from the interior for safety. A water bottle behind the brake pedal makes for an interesting threshold braking experience. A helmet is mandatory for driving on course, most clubs will have loaners in case you do now already own one. A Snell rated helmet 2005 and newer is all you need. As you will the tossing the car around on an open lot around cones no damage will come to your car, even plowing cones at 50mph will only leave scuff marks that come off with a wash and wax. With the aggressive driving you will want more air in the tires than normal to prevent the tires from rolling over on the sidewalls. Adding 4-10 psi from the recommended pressure would be a good start, do this only for the Autocross event, air them back down to normal afterward. With a cleaned out car and more air in your tires you are ready to head to your first event.

Arrive to your local SCCA autocross on time or early. Showing up a little early is always a good thing. Letting a club member know that this is your first Autocross would be beneficial. Most clubs will be able to lend a hand to ensure your car is preppedbcorrectly and take you on a course walk. Yes a course walk! You will have to take your car through a tech inspection to ensure it is safe. Most issues are from a loose battery hold down, a very good thing to find before it starts a fire. Autocross starts with timed runs on your very first look at the course behind the wheel. You area allowed to walk it as many times as you would like, competition begins with the first run. Some clubs may have as many as 8 runs or as few as 4. No matter how many runs you have, you have no other opportunity like this to drive your car to the limit and beyond in a safe environment. Now that you are on course it is time to test your skills and see how quickly you can maneuver your car around all the cones. Most clubs will have an experienced driver available to ride around with you and give some pointers to you. Take it, some of these Autocrossers have been doing this with a passion for 30 or more years! If you have a chance, ask one of these drivers to drive your car on course. You will be amazed at what they can do, then drive it again and try to copy them. This is a great way to learn. Leaning the ins and outs of how your car handles is essential to being able to stay safe in emergency situations. Drive in the snow in your neck of the woods? Autocross will help. Drive on dirt roads? Autocross will help. Drive in the rain? Autocross will help. Drive during peak rut of the Whitetail deer season? Autocross will help. Enjoy driving, in general? Autocross might help more than you know.

Costs of these events can vary from club to club. You can get started with no commitment for $40 or so for an event, most accept cash too. A typical course with have your car starting in 1st gear and shortly going to 2nd for the duration of the course. The average max speed you will see is 60 mph. Most courses can be run in less than 60 seconds for an experienced Autocrosser.

Driving your current commuter car at an Autocross or four will get you programmed to handle emergency situations on the road. We know firearm training teaches us we will react to situations at our lowest level of training. When our lives are on the line we do not want to be dependent on a lack of training! We want to know we are trained fighters capable of overcoming any adversary! The same has to be with driving a car. How many hours do we spend driving? How many situations are we in driving on a day to day basis? Have we become desensitized to all of the threats from driving?

Have a teenage driver? The SCCA holds events geared for them too. Any licensed driver can compete at an Autocross. That also means a holders of a Learner’s Permit with a parent in the passenger seat.

Have fun and learn how much you know about driving, you just might surprise yourself on your current skill level and how the lives of your family depend on them.

Want to take it to the next level? Try out a Track Night that is being organized by the SCCA. You can get your car out on a road course and put those skills to use at speed!

Letter Re: Coin Roll Hunting for Remnant U.S. Circulating Silver

James,
The Coin Community site forum has many areas in their forums but has a section specific to coin roll hunting. There is a lot of silver in the wild from what many of these posters state. Even the War Nickels are still out there if nickels are searched. Halves are the best most likely since many don’t realize the 1965 to 1970 dated halves are 40 percent silver. ? I have searched some and found a few but a pain to later dispose of the halves. We just end up spending them on small items, or as tips to waiters and waitresses. Banks for the most part don’t want them back in bulk, especially the bank from which they are ordered from! It’s fun to find the stray coin every so often. God Bless. – D.S.V.

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

Books:

The Simplicity Primer, by Patrice Lewis

ZeroGov:Limited Government, Unicorns and Other Mythological Creatures, by Bill Buppert 

Movies:

My Friend Flicka  (not the more recent remake)

Music:

The Best of Mary McCaslin

John Hartford: Life Love & Music 5 Essential Albums 1966-1969

Podcasts:

Self Reliant School EP016 Interview With JoAnn Moser – Mason Jar Nation

Pantry Paratus: Chaya’s Guide to Grease: Frying Food the Right (& Nourishing) Way

Instructional Videos:

Some newbies might benefit from this:  How to clean fish

How To Clean Your Woodstove Chimney

Gear:

USB Reading Lamp with 10 LED Lights and Flexible Gooseneck

FLIR Scout TK Pocket-Sized Thermal Monocular

Odds ‘n Sods:

This great video shows a “stealth” camper van project with some
potential for preppers: How to convert a Van in to an Off-Grid Camper in 17 Days! Used Transit Vans and Combi-Vans (as well as similar large vans–which you probably recognize from out on the highway, and on American Pickers) are starting to become affordable here in the States.  Most preppers would of course want to have more battery capacity, more propane capacity, and some hidden compartments. A little Velcro behind paneling and molding works wonders, for those. (Don’t miss opportunities like that.)  Oh, and don’t forget to wear eye protection at all times–and ear protection when appropriate–whenever you are tackling any DIY projects. Safety first! – JWR

o o o

A consulting client recently mentioned the annoyance of “junk” phone calls. She also mentioned that she had never got on the National Do Not Call list.&nbsp I recommend that all SurvivalBlog readers get registered, to avoid nuisance calls and to prevent needless charges on their cell phones. It will stop nearly all business solicitations, but will not stop political calls. Just go to: DoNotCall.gov. This “.gov” site is operated by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), so you won’t get spammed. – JWR

o o o

Reader H.L.R. wrote to mention some news: Amazon is producing a second season of The Man In The High Castle.  Fans of parallel universe fiction should mark December 16th on their calendars.  Hopefully all of the episodes will be made available on the same day, to allow binge watching. (This was how they released the first season.) H.L.R. also notes that for a limited time, the e-book of the novel (on which the television series was based) is available free of charge for Amazon Prime members.

Notes for Tuesday – October 18, 2016

October 18, 1662 was the birthday of Matthew Henry (died 22 June, 1714.)  He was a Presbyterian minister who lived primarily in Chester, England. Matthew Henry’s six-volume Exposition of the Old and New Testaments (commonly called Matthew Henry’s Commentary) is a must for the bookshelf of any serious Bible scholar.

o o o

Today, we present another entry for Round 67 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First 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 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. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating an AquaBrick water filtration kit with a retail value of $250, and
  10. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. 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,
  2. A gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  3. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  4. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 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. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  9. 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 $245 gift certificate 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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value),
  8. 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
  9. Fifteen LifeStraws from SafeCastle (a $300 value).

Round 67 ends on November 30th, 2016, 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.

Prepare the Wolf Within, by N.K.

If you are reading this article you are already awake to the impending Schumer Hits The Fan (SHTF) and whatever that could look like.

You probably already have your bug out bag packed, your rendezvous rural destination with loved ones, your hard copy maps, your silver coins and small bills, and your gun and ammunition.

If you are thinking you need to stay put you have your stored food and water, your medical supplies, your plans with like minded neighbors.

You may even have learned some new trades – perhaps you learned on YouTube from a Canadian how to be a makeshift dentist and affix a temporary filling for a broken tooth or a lost filling. Certainly you know the old Boy Scout lessons of different knots and building fires from scratch and medical emergency procedures in the wild. And you even know how to make a water filter from readily-found natural materials.

You have your “safe room” stocked with food and potassium iodate pills in case of a need for a nuclear fallout shelter.

You’ve been hitting the gym and the trails preparing your body for an escape by foot while carrying extra weights to simulate a back pack. You have your hammock and your tent and even your Mylar blankets to keep in warmth and block those drones from sensing your heat. You’ve got your hiking boots and the rest of the clothing needed to manage mother nature in all her forms.

You’ve taken classes on foraging food in the wild. You can spot the medicinal mushroom from the poisonous one. You know all about Chaga and how to access it’s medicinal qualities (including how the Russians use Vodka.) You got the berries down and know how to store those Goji berries while traveling through the dessert. You know exactly which plants are filled with nutrition and which will kill you.

If you are staying put, you have already been gardening. You learned that you need two different blueberry species contiguous to each other to get any crop at all. You learned to love those bees and worms. You learned that your empty toilet paper roll is a necessity for your small compost of fruit and vegetable scraps. (And you skip the dairy and meat unless you want the vermin.) You may even have found that Garden Tower where you can plant 50 plants vertically using just a couple gallons of water every other day (depending on climate) and needing no land to grow and no need to buy fertilizer.

You have learned that anything given to you from anything organized and funded is probably inverted. You don’t trust Government (or the concept of political parties), Education Institutions, Religious Institutions, Medical Institutions, Entertainment, or Media (to mention just the obvious.) And you are now learning that you may not even be able to trust your gut. You know that your gut has been compromised. You ingest probiotics to balance it – maybe a daily teaspoon of apple cider vinegar or homemade sauerkraut or yogurt. And that while your gut is out of balance, you need to rely on your heart.

You know that the Ph balance of your body is crucial to be at your mental peak in times of stress. You know the tricks to move an acidic body to an alkaline body, or vice versa. You avoid refined sugar and chemicals and other foods that stress your body. You are aware of foods that are toxic. Your quick and easy reference is “organic,” “wild,” and “home grown” foods. You know if you can’t spell it or pronounce it, it is probably stressing your body.

You have studied the founding documents of our country. You own hard copies. You know that once SHTF, and you will survive, you will be the new founders. You must know what our founders knew. Perhaps you will be able to improve the systems of self governance.
Perhaps you will at least be able to identify how/when/where we abandoned our constitution and prevent it in the future.

You know how to access the dark net. You have the IP addresses of your most trusted sources for news and information. You have a CB radio and an AM/FM with a solar or hand crank power source. You have the means to find like–minded survivors when all goes dark. You have pre-arranged communications with family and friends who are too distant to rendezvous.

You have decided on your commodity for trading. Perhaps it’s a service, perhaps it’s medicine, or ammo, or heirloom seeds. It is whatever is right for you but you have something and hopefully a few options. You have something to contribute to the game of survival and the adventure of rebuilding. There may be no handouts, only barters. You will have something to contribute.

You have or are becoming (prescription) drug free. You know that when SHTF, drugs will be hard to come by.

For those areas where you haven’t been able to become an expert, you have written directions. Perhaps it’s tips for gardening or natural medicine or filtering water or building with tools. Whatever you know that you don’t know but you think you will need, you have written instructions.

You have not forgotten the down time. Even though we’re living in a time of quickening, there will still be the hours we sit in the dark in the safety room. The time at dusk when we have nothing left to prepare and are sitting around the fire. This is the time we need some other items. Items to bring us joy. Perhaps a harmonica, a deck of cards, or even a blank journal. You remembered to put these items into place, too.

We believe we are the best prepared as possible. There should be nothing left, right?

May I suggest to you now, the most crucial aspect of preparation has been ignored.

While we have protected our body in a SHTF scenario, we have
ignored our soul.

To prepare our soul, we must take an honest look at our diversion from love and heal it.

It starts with me. Personally. Individually. It starts with you. Personally. Individually.

It is the reflection of the Cherokee legend of the two wolves found here.

It may be the hardest preparation of all.

Knowing what you hate in another human being and turning it around. Stop feeding the wolf of the head:

  • Learning to love those Libtards if you are a member of the
    Republican Party.
  • Blessing those trigger happy cops if you are a black person
    living an urban lifestyle.
  • Speaking kind words to that tranny while in line at the store
    with your school age children.
  • Forgiving those Conspirators who seem to be at the head of so
    many evils that have befallen us.
  • Loving your ex even though you were cheated and harmed so deeply.
  • Helping your parents that never even noticed they had children.
  • Refusing to white-lie, cheat the system, temporarily steal, or bend the truth.
  • Feeling sorry for yourself.
  • Believing in your superiority over others.
  • Assuming your neighbor owes you because of their hard work or
    luck.
  • Allowing money to control you.
  • Believing in all the organized systems rather than your own expert internal answers.

So that in the rebuilding of humanity we consciously move forward feeding the wolf of the heart:

  • Conscious love.
  • Choosing joy.
  • Maintaining peace.
  • Living in serenity.
  • Bowing to humility.
  • Demonstrating kindness.
  • Walking in truth.
  • Expressing compassion.
  • Holding tight to generosity.
  • Intending benevolence.
  • Feeling empathy.

There is an understanding in the Universe right now that the only way to survive the devastation is transcendence of it. Some say that it is the fear that feeds the beast of this SHTF scenario. This fear is what “they” thrive on. If it is so, then we must rise to the challenge of “NO FEAR.”

Some even believe if we raise our personal vibration high enough, feeding the wolf of heart within us, we will be beyond physical reach of the bullets and famine. It is a worthy concept to consider. Perhaps the Universe is devising a way to bring enlightenment to humanity.

Do not fear what is to come. Do not hate they who have brought it forth. Embrace the change and prepare both your body and your soul for the aftermath. That is the blessing we have to look forward to. – Nancy K. in Los Angeles

News From The American Redoubt:

Elbow Room Matters! Consider the  following:  Idaho County, Idaho measures 8,503 square miles (22,020 km2), but it has a population of just 16,267.  Thus, it is slightly smaller than the state of New Jersey (which measures 8,722 square miles and has 9 million residents), but it is larger than Connecticut and Delaware, combined. (They measure 5,543 and 2,488 squares miles, respectively.)  And ponder the geography and demographics of Sweetwater County, Wyoming:  It measures 10,426 square miles (larger than the state of Maryland, which is 9,707 square miles) and has a population of just 45,267.  Maryland has a population of just over 6 million people. Fewer people will mean fewer problems in the midst of a nationwide crisis.

o o o

In Wyoming:  Proposed natural gas project tests sage grouse plans

o o o

Interesting Idaho Facts

o o o

Wyoming Fun Facts

Economics and Investing:

Compare the disparate results in these two YouTube videos: Mining The Banks For Silver:  Is It Worth It? and Coin Roll Hunting Walkers, Franklins, & Kennedys. Obviously, you have to find a bank in a small town that has not yet been harvested by Coin Roll Hunters. For someone who is retired or disabled, or for anyone who travels by road regularly, this could be fairly profitable.

o o o

How Not To Manage A Currency

o o o

So much silver! (Coin roll hunting.) And one result that was even better: Are You Kidding Me?  There are still lots of 40% U.S. silver half dollars out there folks, if you you just take the time to ask at banks. – JWR

o o o

Now a bit dated, but this video provides some good advice  to a newbie from Dan Celia: IInvesting with Swiss Francs: Is it time to buy this currency?

o o o

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

Odds ‘n Sods:

Former senator spills beans on Hillary’s anti-gun strategy

o o o

Reader J.E. sent us this: Russian state newspapers predict ‘direct military conflict’ with US as it compares Syria stalemate to Cuban missile crisis

o o o

I spotted this item at Mac Slavo’s great SHTFplan.com news aggregation site:  Our Threat Comes From Within: “The Establishment Is Doing Everything It Can To Make Us Look Crazy”

o o o

Video: Wranglerstar’s family makes a batch of elderberry wine.

o o o

This article over at Skilled Survival is of interest: DIY Survival Gear: 11 Projects Worth Building

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The worship of the state is the worship of force. There is no more dangerous menace to civilization than a government of incompetent, corrupt, or vile men. The worst evils which mankind ever had to endure were in?icted by bad governments. The state can be and has often been in the course of history the main source of mischief and disaster.” – Ludwig von Mises

Notes for Monday – October 17, 2016

On this day in 1835, Texans approve a resolution to create the Texas Rangers– a corps of armed and mounted lawmen designed to “range and guard the frontier between the Brazos and Trinity Rivers”. After winning their revolutionary war with Mexico the following year, Texans decided to keep the Rangers, both to defend against Indian and Mexican raiders and to serve as the principal law enforcement authority along the sparsely populated Texan frontier.

Blackhawk Waterproof Tactical Softshell Jacket, by Pat Cascio

In close to 25 years as a writer for firearms, cutlery, and survival magazines and websites, I have reviewed quite a few products. Lots of boots have come my way and, to be sure, I only report on the best-of-the-best in boots and other gear. I don’t want to waste my time, or our reader’s time, reporting on junk products. As I’ve said numerous times over the years, “You only have to buy quality once, but if you buy junk, you have to keep on buying junk…” Of course, when it comes to clothing and footwear, you do eventually have to replace it but not nearly as often as you replace junk. Quality clothing and footwear lasts a long, long time. I have a pair of Rocky boots with 800 grams of Thinsulate that are more than 20 years old. They’ve had the soles replaced once. The only reason I don’t wear these boots any longer is because my foot grew one size, but I’m holding onto these waterproof and heavily insulated boots just in case someone else needs them.

dscf0598

I insist on waterproof boots or hikers because of where we live, in Western Oregon, where we get about eights months of rain each year. Insulated boots aren’t a necessity here, but I do have several pair of boots that are waterproof and insulated just because! Most of my winter coats and jackets are also either waterproof or water-resistant, again because it’s a necessity for me. I spend a lot of time outside testing products, as well as just being in the outdoors. When we have heavy rains, I reach for a waterproof jacket, instead of one that is just water-resistant. Most of the year, a heavy jacket isn’t called for in my neck of the woods, so a light-weight, three season, waterproof jacket works great for my needs.

dscf0597

Back in 1979, and “yes” I can remember that far back most of the time, I worked for a K-9 security company. We patrolled outside of the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant quite a ways outside of Portland, OR. It’s now dismantled. We patrolled with a K-9 from sunset until sunrise the next morning. Thos were very long nights, and it was very chilly with lots of rain. I wore a pair of insulated coveralls with an insulated jacket under that, plus a rain suit, pants, and jacket, plus rubber military boots that were heavy. No matter what, I was always wet and cold at the end of the shift. We didn’t have materials like Gore-Tex or Thinsulte back then, so my feet would get wet from perspiration, as well as my entire body. That rubber rain suit didn’t allow the perspiration to get out, and I was wet about halfway through the night. However, it was better, I guess, than being absolutely soaked from the pouring rain. Also, about halfway through the night, my Doberman would start shivering from the cold and rain, which was not good!

dscf0596

So, with the above background, I have some experience with good and poor waterproof products or the lack thereof. We live in wonderful times, with all the new synthetic waterproof products, as well as various types of insulation. I would have done anything if these products were available back in 1979, but they weren’t!

Brand new to the Blackhawk Products line up and a first look for our readers is their Waterproof Tactical Softshell Jacket. Because of our great contacts in various industries, we are giving our readers a first look at this new jacket. It has been tested as well as it could be without any rain, but a soaking garden hose worked great as a test media.

dscf0595

The new jacket has what Blackhawk is calling Teflon Shield, which not only makes this ¾ length jacket waterproof but also repels oil and stains too! It is very nice! Plus, this new waterproof material is breathable. (See my Trojan story above.) If perspiration can’t escape, you will get wet under the jacket. There are also various pockets inside and outside of the jacket for storing your extra gear and equipment that you don’t want to get wet. And, the pockets that have zippers are really cool. They have locking zippers. Once you zip the pocket closed and slide the head of the zipper into the little pouch, there are no worries about the zipper coming unzipped.

I also like that the jacket is flexible, so you have a lot of movement. Some jackets are tight and don’t have any “give” at all, which is not good. The jacket also has gusseted underarms for more freedom of movement, plus a vented yoke on the back of the jacket, and it comes in two different colors. I expect Blackhawk will come out with other colors if there is enough demand. My sample was gray, and the other is a shade of blue. My sample came with a hood to keep that rain off the gray hairs on my head.

dscf0594

Now, if I counted right, and you’ll have to forgive my public school math, there are a total of nine pockets on the jacket. Plus, to aid in keeping you as dry as possible, the seams are all sealed to keep the rain out. The hood has an adjustment for wearing a baseball cap or even a military-style helmet, which is another nice touch. The cuffs on the sleeves are also adjustable with rubber tabs, once again so the rain will stay out, and this also gives you a better fit in the process. There is a Velcro patch on the right sleeve, and a mic clip for your radio use.

Since I received this jacket in August, when we rarely see any rain in this part of Oregon at this time of year, I elected to have my wife turn the garden hose on me while I wore the jacket. Remember that the water was under pressure too. I stayed dry, other than the cuffs on my cargo pants and that my hikers were a little wet on the outside, but the hikers are waterproof, so I had no worries about wet feet. The water just was totally repelled by the waterproof material. There was no hint of the jacket getting wet on the inside.

dscf0593

The Blackhawk Waterproof Tactical Softshell Jacket doesn’t have any sort of lining to keep you extra warm in the colder weather. However, slipping a Wooly Pulley under the jacket or a fleece light-weight jacket on before putting the Blackhawk jacket on, and this baby will probably keep you a lot warmer in the winter months than you can imagine. Being waterproof, the jacket is also windproof. That goes a long way in keeping you warm in cold weather. Standing on the corner when I was a teen, waiting for the public transportation bus to come along in the dead of winter in Chicago, I know how the wind can “cut” right through even the heaviest jacket or coat, giving you a chill to the bone.

The jacket appears to be generously cut, too. Many jackets that I have (and I have a lot of ‘em) are cut a bit tight, and when zipped-up they sometimes allow my concealed carry handgun to print on my right side. Luckily, I rarely have to zip-up a jacket or coat; I’m a bit on the hot-blooded side and rarely get “that” cold in this neck of the woods. But the biggest handgun on my right hip, and I tried several, were easy to conceal with the Blackhawk jacket when it was zipped-up tight.

dscf0592

This particular jacket doesn’t exactly scream “tactical” if you ask me, and that’s a good thing in my book. I don’t want anyone giving me a second look and be mistaken for a law enforcement officer or someone in the military in civilian clothing. This jacket is very stylish, if you ask me, and it will fit in, whether you are in downtown Chicago or out in the country or on the farm.

For more information on this jacket and some much better pics than my wife could take, You need to look at Blackhawk’s site. Keep in mind that quality isn’t cheap. If you want the best, buy the best. This new offering from Blackhawk retails for $209.99, and Blackhawk clothing can now be found in many outdoors stores as well as places like Cabela’s. Check it out. I think you’ll like it, and it is worth the money! I was very impressed with this product, very!

– Senior Product Review Editor, Pat Cascio