Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“I heard my country calling, away across the sea.
Across the waste of waters, she calls and calls to me.
Her sword is girded at her side, her helmet on her head,
And around her feet are lying the dying and the dead;
I hear the noise of battle, the thunder of her guns;
I haste to thee, my mother, a son among thy sons.

I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

And there’s another country, I’ve heard of long ago,
Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.”
– I Vow to Thee, My Country.
(Lyrics by Cecil Spring Rice (1918), Music by Gustav Holst (1920)–from the Jupiter suite of his symphony The Planets.)

Notes for Sunday – October 16, 2016

Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Leipzig (in 1813). This was largest battle in European warfare prior to WWI. In this battle, Napoleon’s forces were defeated by the combined forces of Prussia, Austria, and Russia.

This is also the anniversary of abolitionist John Brown’s raid against the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), in an attempt to start an armed slave revolt and destroy the institution of slavery. Although the raid failed, it inflamed sectional tensions and raised the stakes for the 1860 presidential election. Brown’s raid helped make any further accommodation between North and South nearly impossible and thus became an important impetus of the Civil War.

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Today, we present a lengthy 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.

A Life Submerged: The Gray Man Existence, by A. Smith

This article explores concealment and the Gray Man mindset and lifestyle in The End of the World as We Know It (TEOTWAWKI) and survival in contemporary society. The tactics, techniques, and procedures I’ll describe are taken from a military point of view.  It is not intended as an end all. It is merely a perspective on some experiences of deployments in 30 years of service to many backwater countries.  Hopefully my shared experiences will help better understand and prepare you in case something really goes wrong with our economy, natural or man-made disaster, etc. 
 

The art of Gray Man or “blending in” is of the highest importance.  The key point is to avoid broadcasting that you have nice things, deep resources, or that you are healthy [or are specially trained].  If you do have these things during TEOTWAWKI, fine. 
Just keep them to yourself. 
Blend in with what everybody else has by observing your surroundings and having situational awareness.  Sometimes this cannot be helped such as when  you’re carrying a $1,500 AR-15 while everybody else is toting $100 shotguns. 


It’s a good idea to make that AR-15 less attractive by making it look old, worn out, or otherwise undesirable.  I had a buddy who put on a nice camouflage paint job on his M4 but my did it look ugly after he was finished.  Sometimes having a nice rifle can’t be helped, but don’t gloat or talk about it.  If someone asks you to take a look at your rifle, (I’ve had some local police forces ask this very question), then politely decline and talk about something else.  Sometimes it makes sense just to pull out the old shotgun and leave the $1,500 AR at home, or have it stowed in your beater car.  This brings up a point about nice cars versus beater cars.


In my experiences in the third world the person driving the nice cars, trucks, or SUVs were high ranking governmental officials, U.N. or NATO forces, or the enemy/criminals, or some combination thereof.  Anytime I saw a jacked-up Toyota pickup on steroids I immediately thought “bad guys”.  When I saw SUVs where everyone else were walking, bicycling, or riding a small motorcycle, I thought “really bad guys”.  Even my beater Toyota screamed, “Uncle Sugar has arrived”.  That’s what I thought, anyway.  I had the windows tinted dark to prevent locals from peering inside the cab.  It worked and I stopped being stared at and my stuff never got stolen. 

Most locals in several of the countries that  I’ve visited over the years walked, paid taxis, or hopped on the back of a motorcycle or pickup for a small fee.  Cars looked worn and beat down for the average person. 

I’m not saying not to drive your Lincoln Navigator during TEOTWAWKI, just be aware when you drive these kinds of vehicles during a disaster, people will be eyeballing you.  If you have the muscle and resources to defend that Navigator by all means drive it.  In my opinion, however, it’s better to have a moped or small street legal off-road bike then to drive a nice car.  I’ve owned a Honda XR250L (1991 -1996) and they would be excellent to get around town or in a rural area, and it would only set you back around $1,500.  Be prepared to lock that moped or bike up with a heavy chain and high security lock, however, or it will be stolen.

Having high security locks and chains should be a priority and they should be secured where the resource will be stored.  For instance rifles at a minimum should be behind two high security locks, and be in a metal security rack or a gun vault, (preferred).  The assumption is that most readers have the resources such as rifles, cars, motorcycles, etc. but perhaps have not thought through their security.  A heavy alloy chain hardened makes it harder for criminal to steal your stuff.  I chained locked everything in my topper in the back.  With the chains, tinted windows, my stuff was a secure as I could make it.  Combine a Medeco brand padlock to complete a high security setup. 

On one deployment we shipped our CONEX Box (overseas shipping container) and secured it with a Medeco high security padlock. 

We also put our stuff into Knaack Jobsite Chests and secured them each with a Medeco lock.  When we arrived in theater we linked up with our CONEX Box.  The lock looked like it had been hammered on, but it was otherwise intact.  We had heard that other units had their box’s broken into and stuff stolen.  I’m not saying that having the Medeco locks is the only way to go, but investing in higher security locks will slow the miscreants down a lot.  With all the YouTube videos on how to lock pick lower grade locks, it is just common sense to buy better locks and chain.  The Jobsite Chests were awesome.  The chests are basically contractor grade tool boxes that let contractors store their valuable tools at a job site without them getting ripped off.  They make excellent storage for ammo, tools, electronics, or anything portable of high dollar worth.   Although they are not as secure as a safe or vault, they are “good enough” for smaller dollar items, such as medicine, seeds, food, etc.    [JWR Adds:  Most chains are vulnerable to attacks by bolt cutters, but motorcycle padlock chains are amazingly tough. I would recommend adding a coat of dark paint and sprinkling it with dirt before it is dry, for the full “grunge” look.  Also, metal part can  be highlighted with rust-brown paint, to make them appear old rusty, to the casual observer.]]

Don’t broadcast your excellent health in TEOTWAWKI.  Cough a little within sight of strangers or around people in the local market.  Look dirty or look like they do health-wise.  Ask for medicine you don’t need and you know the local market may or may not have (at sky high prices such as pain and antibiotics that you won’t pay for but makes you blend because you have the same medical needs as a majority of the population).  It can’t be overstated enough that in a TEOTWAWKI a majority will have some medical need, and have need for medication, treatment, or medical devices.  You being the epitome of health will stick out like a sore thumb, and possibly get you killed, unless you are willing to drop the “truth no matter the consequences” mindset.  The locals I interacted with in Africa put a premium on anti-malarial medication.  I would occasionally hand out my extra medication free when I saw a local or someone I knew having a “sweating episode”.  It was the morally right and Christian thing to do.  I did have one savvy local soldier from the host country’s army repeatedly ask over the course of my tour for malaria medication after he saw me give the malarial pills to a local for free.  It was a sore spot with me, I was doing the right thing, but the jerk wanted to take advantage. 

The point is to hide medication, act sick or have the same “symptoms” as everybody else, or have some empathy with the people sick and dying around you.  You might even consider wear a knee brace and walk with a minor limp if the atmospherics and pulse of the majority are sick and dying around you.  
I made a mistake by showing charity to a local and paid nearly every week on that tour because I didn’t conceal the resource and dispense charity secretly.  This did not prevent me from getting out and visiting the local markets, however. 

I would go into the local markets dressed down such as jeans, tee shirt, and small backpack bought locally, (with a large pistol).  They didn’t know what to make of me whether I was a Soldier,  Peace Corps worker, Missionary, Agent, or whatever.  Visiting the local markets did two things; it allowed me to round out my experiences in West Africa by buying local “safe foods” such as Cassava and rice, and it let me get the pulse of the population that lived around me.  I always paid for my vegetables and rice in the local money, I NEVER bought local foodstuffs and trinkets in U.S. greenbacks.  My friends and associates told me to never pay in greenbacks because they jacked up the exchange rate and it made you a huge target for pickpockets and criminals.  I guess the takeaway is to get out to your local market during TEOTWAWKI, pay for things in the going exchange medium (whether silver, gold, medicine, etc.) and get a feel for what’s going on around you.  One of the very first things that disappeared precluding an attack was the market, because the vendors mostly knew in advance that the “bad guys” were coming into town.  So if anything get out and interact with the local market to see what is going on.  I always took a buddy, parked the truck outbound toward the road, paid a local teenage boy(s) to watch the truck, and bought whatever nonsense DVD or trinket the local men offered just before leaving.  I put a log book in place at out barracks and made everybody sign out to include the seven W’s; who, what, when, where, why, when returning, and who you took/resources (truck/weapons/medical kit bag) with you.  Being active by walking to the market during TEOTWAWKI drops the pounds and forces you to interact.  dropped 30 lbs. on my Africa tour and it went a long ways into looking “lean and mean”.

Don’t look like a pork chop when everybody else looks like string cheese.  I remember one particular Afghan Politician who must have pushed 300 pounds.  Everybody else looked to weigh around a buck-forty.  He obviously was on the lamb or otherwise doing well for himself.  His nephew was carrying a no kidding Ingram M-10 submachinegun, when everybody else either carried AKs or some variant of the M16.  Those two stuck out like sore thumbs.  I could see the local Afghans eyeballing those two and literally licking their lips.  I wonder if the fat man and wonder boy made it through the election cycle-probably not. 
I’m not saying having a few extra pounds is a bad thing or trying to make fun of it in some way.  The politician stuck out.  Way out.  That combined with his nephew carrying a weapon system nobody else had in the country made them a target, whether they intended to be, or not.  The point is if you look well-fed, muscular, or otherwise healthy when everyone else is starving you will become a target. 

To blend look like everybody else and wear what most people are seen wearing.  Wear oversize clothing.  This may be easy since in a TEOTWAWKI situation you will most likely lose weight.  Don’t wear tight jeans and white shirts–people can see your physique.  Wearing dark pants and an oversize shirt keeps people guessing as to how much you actually weigh.  Wear a baseball cap or cover your face as much as practical.  Although it’s on my shopping list and I currently don’t own, having a baseball equipped with a couple of infrared LED flashlights attached to the brim  to prevent your face from being video recorded is high on my list. 

 I’ve been in areas where no matter what I did I stuck out, but I still tried. Wearing a cap and sunglasses makes people shy away from you and they don’t stare as much.  If they can’t see your eyes, face, and body, they can’t assess whether you’re an easy target or a hard one.  It keeps them guessing.  I wore long sleeve shirts as much as practical, even in the tropics.  The less skin they saw the better.  This holds true I think in a TEOTWAWKI situation as well.  If people can’t see your profile, they can’t judge.  The same is true for your gait and mannerisms.  This one is a hard one for me and I consciously work on walking “like a civilian”.


I can spot a military or a police person a mile away.  I can spot them in crowds, in shopping malls, airports.  They walk taller and more deliberate.  They walk with authority and purpose.  Don’t be that guy in TEOTWAWKI unless your station in life demands it.  It is a fun exercise to pick out the soldier or cop in a crowd. Try it.  This is one of my biggest giveaways especially if I’m in a rush.  I resort to that “chest out-shoulders back” walk.  If you are military or law enforcement, deliberately slow down and walk “like a civilian”. 

In summary my experiences in third world countries are that people are either starving, or a few meals from it, need medical attention, and will do bad things sometimes such as stealing to get what they need.  The thin veil of morality and consciousness go out the window once the stomach starts grumbling.  Hopefully you have civilian clothing that provides both utility and blends in.  One thing not mentioned is I have a 15 year old beat up Carhart jacket.  It looks like it’s been through a cat fight, but it keeps me warm and for the most part dry. (I coated it with a blend of beeswax and Linseed oil).  The jacket would make me look like every other farmer in the county, (we are the breadbasket of the state).  People will need help, and give responsibly secretly in order to not become a target.  Invest in your higher grade locks, chains, and contractor boxes to secure your valuables.  Lock everything you do not have immediate possession of.  Try to look like everybody else and blend in as much as possible. 

Letter Re: Hurricane Matthew–Some Lessons Learned

JWR & HJL:
That was another great article [on Hurricane Matthew]! A suggested alternative that I have adopted is buying a turbo diesel automobile and truck.  The benefits are simple and yet many people still have not discovered the option. Here are a few:
My VW tdi as an example gets about 43 miles per gallon, so with a 15 gallon fuel tank it achieves about 600 miles plus on a  tank, and by adding three NATO style 5 gal metal cans (15 gallons total) in the trunk I have a 1,200 hundred mile cruising range. That is hard to beat.

Another advantage diesel in several scenarios I have been through was that diesel will still be available when regular gas is sold out.  In my own testing, diesel is not nearly as volatile as gasoline.

Diesel stores for 3 to 4 years without stabilizers with no noticeable degrading (in my own experience and only use 55g al metal drums or 5 gal current NATO style gas cans). [JWR Adds: It stores even longer with an anti-microbial stabilizer such as PRI-D added.]

You can buy diesel at the service stations and transport it in any type of container without violating any over the road fuel safety transportation laws. 

As a side note: More then once people have advised me at the service stations “Do you know you are putting diesel in your car?” to which I just smile and point to the diesel emblem on the car.  Point being this is a worthwhile option that everybody should consider. t may just save your day and your family at some point in the future.  – John in Nevada

Economics and Investing:

We were already tipped off long ago about gold in a world of negative interest rates.  Now consider Ray Dalio’s Long-Term Debt Cycle Charts (over at Barry Ritholtz’s The Big Picture.)

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From Mr. Econocobas:
Deutsche Bank Considers Thousands More Job Cuts: Source – Keep watching this. I fully believe that they don’t want this to happen and will do everything they can to help paper it over. But if Deutsche goes down then  it will make Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers seem like just a walk in the park.  It is noteworthy that Deutsche has some of the largest derivative positions in the world.

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Uber and Lyft are demolishing New York City taxi drivers

CitiBank Is Worried About the Political Winds Blowing Against Yellen.

Odds ‘n Sods:

One of my phone consulting clients recently asked about a recommendation for a low power (QRP) high frequency (HF) AM and FM single-sideband (SSB) capable transceiver.  I suggested one of the most popular ones. It is the Yaesu FT-817ND.  It runs on 12 volts DC and is VERY compact!  (They are even used for backpacking, as seen in this video.) They are ideal for voice, CW/Morse, and digital work, and cover the Amateur 160 through 10 Meter bands, 50 MHz, 144-148 MHz (the 2 Meter band), 430-450 MHz, as well as the Alaska Emergency Channel at 5167.5 kHz.  When sending PSK-31 and similar digital (text) traffic, 5 watts of output power is often sufficient to send messages around the world. (Depending, of course, on ionospheric conditions.) The only proviso is that the Yaesu reportedly has fairly sensitive final stage power amplifier circuitry sections. (Commonly called “finals”.)  Never, ever key the microphone on any transceiver without an antenna or a dummy load attached, or you can instantly destroy the finals. – JWR

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Speaking of ham radio, I stumbled into this YouTube video on dipole antenna trimming:  HF Field Ops Gear-up. Dipole Antenna Tuning. – JWR

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Patrice Lewis recently posted a very educational photo essay that shows her family’s efficient use of space:  Photos of our canning closet

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In the Protestant world, churches seem destined to split over doctrinal differences.  Now, in the Wacky World of Wikipedia–which is something akin to a cult-like religion to some of its editors–there has been what appears to be a schism, with the advent of a new branch Wlki called InfoGalactic. The new encyclopedic site seems to have a slow server, and appears to be using a snapshot of Wikipedia, as a starting point. They have promised to be more inclusionist while being less pedantic and sycophantic. I wish them the best.  It remains to be seen whether or not the new Intergalactic wiki will succumb to the same leftist/”progressive”/pro-homosexual/statist cabals, deletionism, and Wikilawyering that have destroyed the credibility of Wikipedia.  (A tip of the hat to Claire Wolfe, for alerting us to this new wiki.) – JWR

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” – Matthew 24:21-24 (KJV)

Guest Article: More About Oral Rehydration Solutions, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

Editor’s Introductory Proviso: I’m not a doctor, and I don’t give medical advice. Mentions of any medicine or medical treatment is for informational purposes only and are in no way endorsed or accredited by SurvivalBlog.com, or its principals. SurvivalBlog.com is not responsible for the use or misuse of any product advertised or mentioned on the SurvivalBlog site. – JWR

I read through the recent SurvivalBlog link about Baking Soda:  Why Baking Soda Can Be Essential for Rescuing Earthquake Survivors.  In earthquake rescue situations it’s given via IV to prevent kidney failure from muscle damage. Which got me thinking about treating blast injuries. And sure enough, it’s one of the treatments, and for the same reasons. See this PDF. (Print and save!)

Why the interest in blast injuries? Because ISIS in the Middle East is apparently experimenting with fuel-air explosives, and if they share that knowledge with their compatriots in the US we could see a terrorist bombing campaign on steroids like this, and also see this.  And of course–in a worst-case scenario – Christians, Patriots, Constitutionalists and others could be on the receiving end of official disapproval.

I’m not a medical expert. But I refuse to give up when I run into a challenge. Most of us won’t have access to intravenous (IV injectables in a TEOTWAWKI situation, but there might still be some benefit from giving patients baking soda and Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) orally. And for unconscious patients, or people who cannot swallow (facial, throat, abdominal injuries), or who are too nauseated there’s still the possibility of fluid absorption via enema.  (Print and save!)

Proctoclysis – rectal infusion – is simple, safe, effective, cannot accidentally introduce bacteria [or air] into the bloodstream like an IV, and is inexpensive. If you have an IV and the right solutions [and the requisite qualifications] then give that. But if you don’t, then consider rectal rehydration and bicarbonate treatment for blast victims who would otherwise be untreatable because (a) advanced medical care is simply unavailable, (b) time to transport to advanced medical care is too long, or (c) there are too many victims at the scene and the person(s) you want to survive who would otherwise be triaged out as un-savable.

Proctoclysis could be lifesaving for traumatic blood loss, internal bleeding, gunshot wounds, pandemic flu, shock and more – pretty much anything that would normally call for an IV of saline. In fact some medicines even absorb better via the colon because they don’t have to pass through the gastric acids in the stomach!

Thanks to the people who take enemas for hangovers, fevers, and natural treatments for other ailments, the enema bags and lubricated tubes are inexpensive. I couldn’t find packets of sodium bicarbonate, so just pre-measure how much you’re going to use into a tin plastic zippered bag. One liter bottles of pure water are easy enough to come by (the water does not have to be sterile). And voila!

Three notes:

  1. If you’re going to buy commercially prepared ORS I wouldn’t buy flavored varieties. Yes, it tastes lousy when drinking it (hence the flavoring) but for proctoclysis it won’t matter, and you really don’t know what those additives, food colors, and flavorings are going to do down there…

    If you are going to make your own Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) here’s one commonly mentioned recipe, promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO):

    WHO Oral Rehydration Solution

    • Table Salt (NaCl) 1/2 tsp.*
    • Salt Substitute [Potassium Chloride] 1/2 tsp.*
    • Baking Soda 1/2 tsp.
    • Table Sugar 2 tablespoons (Commercial solutions use
      Glucose)
    • Tap Water 1 Liter (= 1 Qt. + 2 tablespoons)
  2. Ideally, the solution you provide should be at body temperature or you will be cooling them at the very time they need to be kept very warm. Probably the easiest strategy would be to sandwich the enema bag between two Hothands (or other brand) of chemical hand warmers with the medical tape you’re going to need anyway to hold the tube in place. Get the big warmers for more heat.
  3. If one were giving bicarbonate via IV (you know, that’s a palindrome!) you would know you were giving too much (“alkalosis”) if you got any of or a combination of these symptoms: Edema (swelling feet/ankles/hands/face, etc.), including pulmonary edema (difficulty breathing, worse when laying down) Twitching muscles, Irritability (and confusion) Tetany (involuntary muscle seizures/cramps)

    Unfortunately, there’s no standard that I could find for sodium bicarbonate dosage via proctoclysis. Keep the dose reasonable, as much as the baking soda quantity in the WHO ORS recipe should be defensible. But do monitor your friend/family member for the aforementioned symptoms. Monitor their urine output, and regardless, get them to professional medical care ASAP!

Yes, it will all look quite bizarre on scene. But you know the saying: “If it’s stupid, but it works, it’s not stupid.” Read the articles. Be prepared, save their lives.

Trust God. Be Prepared. We can do both! ShepherdFarmerGeek

Editor’s Closing Proviso: Again: I’m not a doctor, and I don’t give medical advice. Mentions of any medicine or medical treatment is for informational purposes only and are in no way endorsed or accredited by SurvivalBlog.com, or its principals. SurvivalBlog.com is not responsible for the use or misuse of any product advertised or mentioned on the SurvivalBlog site. – JWR

Letter: Advice on How Hedge with Foreign Currencies

Mr. Rawles,
You recently mentioned that you had bought some Swiss Francs, as a hedge. Back 15 years ago, I knew that the Yuan–the Communist Chinese Currency–was being held at about 1/4 (or less) of it’s real value.  I wanted to trade some US currency  into it, but couldn’t figure out ho, short of flying there and filling up a suitcase.

I think many of your readers would like to know how to do currency trading.

Today, I’d like to buy some British Pounds as I think the UK exiting the EU [the recent “Brexit”] will only make England’s currency stronger.

Thanks, – Dan E.

JWR Replies: For large currency trades, you can of course execute a FOREX trade, through a brokered contract.  But for small currency exchanges, the easiest way to buy foreign currency is simply to go to the international terminal of the nearest large airport, and visit a currency trading booth operated by Travelex.  Their currency trading rates are usually better than those available at your local bank.  But be advised that it is best to phone ahead, to be sure that they have the particular currency that you need on hand. (They will almost always have Euros and Canadian Dollars on hand, but don’t expect them to have Swiss Francs or British Pounds at all times!) You simply hand them U.S.  currency, provide them identification (they are accustomed to using passports for ID, so bring yours), and they hand you the foreign currency and a receipt that itemizes the currency trade.  Unstructured transactions under $10,000 can be made with no reporting.  Travelex also does transactions via Internet mail order, but it is less private, more costly (for postage and insurance on orders LESS than $1,000–they cover the postage on large orders), and there is course the risk of theft from the mail.   Travelex has around 200 “store” locations around the United States, mostly at airports and a few downtown offices in some major cities.

I generally prefer holding physical (printed) currencies, but you can open a foreign currency account through EverBank. Their main account offering for foreign currencies is called a “ World Currency Access Deposit Account.” They have a $2,500 minimum opening deposit.

If you keep any money in your PayPal balance, you can also add another currency to your account.  Click on “Money”, and then click on “Manage Currencies”.  Then click on “Select New Currency”.  In the pull down menu select the currency of your choice, such as Swiss Francs (for this example).  Once that appears in your currencies list,  you can then type the amount (in Dollars) that you want to exchange in the Currency Exchange “From” box, again select Swiss Francs in the right-hand pull-down menu, then click “Calculate” and then the “Continue” button.  Their exchange rates are competitive. After you approve the exchange, it is completed automatically. It is that quick and easy.  Your account will then show the individual currency amounts plus an aggregate available balance in U.S. Dollars.  But be advised that each time you exchange currencies, there are transaction fees charged!  So it is best to “park” that portion of your money in Swiss Francs and not touch it, unless you mail order something from Switzerland.  In the long term, once your “hedge” currency has risen substantially against the U.S. Dollar, you can exchange it back, hopefully for a handsome profit.  I haven’t checked, but it might also be possible to make a transfer of foreign denominated funds from PayPal to a EverBank World Currency Access Deposit Account, without making a currency exchange transaction.

One other option is to buy travelers checks denominated in foreign currencies at your local bank, but those would probably be more suspect in later transactions than the currencies themselves. And, as previously noted, the exchange rates are generally not favorable at most banks.

If you buy currency when traveling abroad be advised that there are customs declarations required upon your return.  Also note that private trading of currencies with the citizenry is illegal in some countries, including among others (at my latest recollection) India, Israel, Malaysia, and South Africa. Be sure to check on local laws before trading currencies. Also, be advised that here in the United States, Currency Transaction Reports will be made any time that a transactions or “structured” series of transactions exceeds $10,000 USD.

Economics and Investing:

Charles Hugh Smith:  Please Assume Crash Positions

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Cash is piling up faster than Warren Buffett can invest it.  Most of the mainstream media analysts seem to see Buffet’s growing cash position as crafty planning for some major acquisitions.  But I suspect that he has actually become risk averse and is putting cash on the sidelines in anticipation of a major market correction. This correction would most likely be triggered by another global credit crisis that will dwarf the 2008 crisis. I predict that when Buffett again buys stocks substantially, it will be at or near the bottom.

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Commentary at Alt-Market.com:  Global Elites Are Getting Ready To Blame You For The Coming Financial Crash. (Brandon Smith posits that if Donald Trump wins the election that he and conservative movements will then be blamed for a subsequent market crash.)

Odds ‘n Sods:


Crime Statistics: Motor vehicle theft (most recent) by state.  (Take note of the correlation of the bottom-ranked states with the American Redoubt states and the adjoining western Plains states.)

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The makers of the famous (and now copied) BedBunker gun vault have expanded their product line to include a variety of automotive gun vaults including center console vaults, under seat vaults, and most recently car trunk vaults.  Be sure to check out their web site. – JWR

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I spotted this at Off The Grid News: The Five Best Places In America To ‘Bug Out’ When Society Collapses. – JWR

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Video from a Russian: 10 Survival Life Hacks Compilation #1

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.”  – Deuteronomy 14: 1-2 (KJV)

Notes for Friday – October 14, 2016

The following article is interesting reading. Because I go by the precept that tangibles beat conceptuals, my general preference is still for precious metal coins (both bullion and numismatic), but I can also see the utility of hedging one’s portfolio a bit into Bitcoin. – JWR

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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.

Some Details on Bitcoin and Blockchain, by G.S.

Bitcoin has been in the news recently for good and bad reasons. You are probably also seeing the word Blockchain, and may be curious what that is. It is important for people wary of government intervention in their lives to understand what Bitcoin is, and if it is an avenue that can be used to safeguard wealth or act as an investment.

Five years ago, Bitcoin was the only major online currency. This is still the case, but there is competition from all sides. There have been many similar competing currencies released in the last few years, and these are universally referred to as Altcoins or Crypto Currency. Many of these new coins never took off, and others, after initially succeeding, have tumbled in value and are now worthless. Some, like Ethereum and Monero, have managed to have some success and have gained enough in value to be truly valuable in their own right.

These Altcoins work as currencies, and are accepted by many merchants online. They are also a form of investment, and a way to transfer wealth without using the banking system. With the recent increase in economic challenges in China, it is widely thought the Chinese are using Bitcoin to move their money out of China and into different currencies. Each time there is an economic policy change in China, the price of Bitcoin seems to react.

Did China Drive Bitcoin’s Price to 2016 Highs?

The most important Bitcoin related event for us, the general public, has been the recent emergence of exchanges where we can purchase Bitcoin and other Altcoins with dollars. These exchanges, such as Coinbase, are still in their infancy. Most only offer Bitcoin and perhaps one or two other Altcoins for sale, but that is quickly changing. There is very little regulation in the cryptocurrency exchange industry currently, though as you will read further down, that regulation is coming.

Before you read the next paragraph, it is important to understand it is possible to safeguard Bitcoin when you buy it by storing it in a Bitcoin Wallet outside of the exchange you bought it from. Similar to a brick and mortar bank, you have the option of pulling the Bitcoin out and sticking it someplace where hackers (and the government) cannot get to it. You can even put your Bitcoins into a ‘paper wallet,’ which is a wallet with a private key existing nowhere except where you write or print it.

See: How to Make a Paper Bitcoin Wallet

Here is the bad news. On August 2nd, 2016, an exchange called Bitfinex was hacked and over $70 Million in Bitcoin belonging to people using Bitfinex was stolen by the hacker. This was all Bitcoin stored with Bitfinex as savings, just as I might store money in a bank. Had it been removed by its owners and put into a Bitcoin Wallet as explained above, no hacker would have had access to it. There is no FDIC insurance to cover the loss, and there is no simple way to find and recover the Bitcoin from the thief. Keep in mind this was a hack into the Bitfinex exchange, similar to a bank robbery. The Bitcoins stolen still exist, and no in hacking was done to the currency itself. They just transferred ownership.

Here is an example: Bitfinex Hack Shows How Bitcoin Blockchain Can Be a Liability

With a Cyprus-like bail-in, Bitfinex is spreading the pain to all of their customers. They are repaying the people who lost their Bitcoins by taking 36% from the unaffected accounts on their system, and giving it to the people with losses. That means everyone loses, including Bitcoin holders everywhere who have seen the price drop by ten percent since the theft. Prior to the theft Bitfinex lured in customers with claims of being the most secure exchange. As of the time of this article, Bitfinex still has not announced how the theft occurred. It is widely assumed they do not know what happened. Remember, above I mentioned there is little regulation and no insurance in the exchange industry.

Before the exchanges started to appear in 2014, the only way to acquire Bitcoin was to mine it. Bitcoin mining still is being done today, but is no longer practical for the average person. Companies have built huge banks of incredibly fast processors to mine with, giving them an advantage over even the best personal computers we can purchase from a retailer. In order to understand Mining, you need to understand how the Bitcoin Blockchain works.

Here is an explanation of the Blockchain that makes the most sense to me. To start with, think about the system we are familiar with today… the banks you deal with in the real world. Are you able to see all of your bank’s transactions behind the scenes? Not a chance. Can you imagine a system where anyone can see your paycheck deposited into your account, and then see where you send your money? Of course not. For privacy reasons, no bank would ever make this information public, or let anyone know exactly what it is doing with the money it takes in.

In contrast, what if you could make a new anonymous account with the push of a button, and instantly make an anonymous transaction from that account? Below is a Bitcoin account address I just created. As you can see, it is random and 34 characters long. I may or may not ever use it to buy something. I could send it to someone buying something from me, and they could send me Bitcoin from their account using the address:  1H6cQ8NL5Zi7VPeM493rMVT3KFT2ZL2WdC

It does not matter if everyone can see an amount traveling from this anonymous account to someone else’s anonymous account, especially if this was just one of millions of anonymous transactions bundled together into one file where everyone in the world could see them. This system means all creative auditing, fraud, data manipulation, currency creation from thin air, and other financial mischief goes out the window. Once a transaction happens, it cannot be altered by anyone because all computers worldwide have access to the information and would know immediately if something changed. This is what happens every 10 minutes on the Blockchain. A new ‘Block’ is added to the end of the chain with all of the anonymous transactions publicly available from the previous 10 minutes. All computers on the network have access to the new block of information and agree the block is correct. This chain of 10 minute blocks goes all the way back to the beginning of Bitcoin, and continues to grow.

CIO Explainer: What is Blockchain?

Now that you understand the Blockchain, you might be wondering how the anonymous transactions all get combined into the 10 minute blocks. This is where ‘Mining’ comes is. Mining is a term used for the process of assembling the new Blocks, and rewarding the computers putting them together the quickest with new Bitcoin. Every computer mining on the network is frantically putting together all of the transactions from the last 10 minutes into a correctly formatted file. All of these computers are running at incredible speeds, but only one is going to finish first and add the new block to the end of the Blockchain. The winning computer is currently rewarded with 12.5 Bitcoins (approximately $7,250 USD at the time I am writing this) for winning the 10 minute race. This is called Mining. Other Altcoins use the same method for processing their transactions.

Bitcoin is only valuable because the people holding it give it value, just like the fiat dollars we use today. There is nothing behind Bitcoin that is inherently valuable, just like there is no gold behind fiat currency. One difference is there is an inflexible finite amount of Bitcoin that will ever exist of approximately 21 Million. Our governments are creating Trillions of additional fiat currency from nowhere, which dilutes the money already in the system. That will not happen with Bitcoin. Approximately 79% of all the Bitcoin that will ever exist is already created. The other 21% is still being distributed via the Mining rewards. It is predicted the last Bitcoin will be distributed in 2024, and that a minuscule fee at that time will be collected from each transaction to incentivize the miners to continue creating blocks.

More people every day are realizing the diversity and value Bitcoin offers. In 2016 alone, the price has more than doubled, making it an outstanding investment. Price swings like this also makes it a very risky asset. The price of Bitcoin in 2013 briefly topped $1,000, and then fell all the way below $250, before starting its recent climb.

This chart provides a useful illustration: Bitcoin Price Chart

I am speculating this climb is due to the strained economic environment we now find ourselves in. When the stock market is doing well, people have their money in the market. Much like physical gold, people are looking at Bitcoin for an alternative place to keep their wealth away from the Wall Street, the government, and the banks, while also hoping for a positive return on their investment.

As Bitcoin has become more widely used, accepted, and valuable, the government has a stronger and stronger incentive to get their share. For this reason you are starting to see attempts at regulating Bitcoin sales and profits. This will lead to exchanges in the United States and other developed countries eventually being forced to hand over personal information on transactions and financial gains if they wish to maintain their business and not be hit with expensive lawsuits and fines by governments. While the transactions are currently anonymous, they are in reality only as nonymous as the exchanges allow them to be. Once the government knows which Bitcoin wallet addresses are tied to your account on Coinbase, for example, it is a short leap for them to use those addresses to figure out what happened with the Bitcoin associated with the account. Programmers and entrepreneurs are working on new ways to hide Bitcoin user’s identities to combat this regulatory intrusion.

Here is some interesting news: North Carolina Governor Signs Bitcoin Bill Into Law

And take a look at this: How to Use Bitcoin Anonymously

The governments have started saying they are going to regulate Bitcoin to fight terrorism, but this is an effort to paint Bitcoin as a source of money laundering to the general public in order to get their approval for regulation (read: taxation). Anything the government wants to control, such as guns and Bitcoin, they tie to terrorism or drug dealers to gain public acceptance for their invasion into our privacy. In the meantime, they send Millions of dollars in cash to Iran which will be used to truly fund terrorism.

Here is some interesting news: Europe to End Anonymous Bitcoin Exchanges to Fight Terrorism

I wanted to provide a definition and information on the current state of Bitcoin to educate everyone, but not necessarily to make a recommendation whether Bitcoin is right for you. Just like when you purchase stocks, gold, or any other investment, you need to weigh your risk tolerance versus the potential rewards Bitcoin has to offer. What rewards? The value of Bitcoin nearly tripled in a few months earlier this year, and I would not be surprised if a year from now Bitcoin has exploded to be more valuable than we could have imagined. Be careful though, the risk associated with Altcoins right now is akin to gambling. I don’t fully trust the exchanges to keep my Bitcoin safe from hackers and government regulation. I am personally investing in a small amount of Bitcoin and Ethereum as a hedge against the future, but only with money I am not afraid to lose.