Nicknamed CAPS, an unknown immune-resistant virus spreads out of South America. It crawls its way around the world in a matter of months. The pandemic cripples trade and travel and sends the global economy into free fall. People are helpless, in a panic, and social media is rampant with rumors and misinformation that only feeds into the anxiety. Governments spiral and citizens revolt. The mutated virus jumps from person to person. It causes pneumonia and acute respiratory distress—liquid fills the lungs.

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Welcome to Event 201

Sounds like the description of current events from any news agency on the globe, right? Instead, this describes a pandemic simulation event hosted by the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) last October. Called Event 201, it was the fourth such exercise that addresses a series of “what ifs” centered around global disaster. Previous exercises include a small pox outbreak in 2001, Atlantic Storm in 2005, and an unchecked pandemic—Clade X—in 2018. Event 201 was held, coincidentally, one month before the announced outbreak of COVID-19. According to a press release from JHU, “Event 201 was a chance to see how much catch-up work is needed to bolster our disaster response systems.”

This scenario, says Eric Toner of the Center for Health Security, is utterly realistic. It’s like a war game for a disease. It is a chance to test global pandemic preparedness, focusing on the response of the private sector.

“We don’t have a vaccine for SARS or MERS or various avian flu viruses that have come up in the past decade,” Toner notes in a release. “That’s because vaccine development is slow and difficult if there isn’t an immediate market for it.”

Event 201 Simulation

Event 201 was hosted in conjunction with the World Economic Forum and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, but this exercise was a little different than those of the past. This year, leaders from the private sector and the business community were asked to participate, such as, NBC, UPS, and Johnson & Johnson. Toner admits that this “is where most of our resources are.”

This is particularly true when it comes to vaccine development. Researchers used the fictional CAPS virus in Event 201. They described it in literature as a cousin of SARS. However, it was “slightly more transmissible, like the flu, and slightly more lethal,” added Toner. It was presented as resistant to any existing vaccine, as scientists scrambled to come up with one. Sound familiar? The difference is that CAPS killed 65 million people in the exercise. It also proved that the majority of the world’s countries are woefully unprepared for a catastrophe of this magnitude.

The participants in the simulation tried to tackle the big problems: How to allocate limited medical and financial resources; how to prioritize the risks of global trade and travel; and how to quell misinformation from conspiracy theories to government propaganda. Event 201’s overall goal was to develop a plan that can be put into place before a pandemic took hold.

The Takeaway

The purpose of the simulation was to not only discuss the what-ifs and how-comes related to a pandemic, but to also discover pathways to success when the world is up against such a global emergency. The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, World Economic Forum, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation jointly propose the following:

• Governments, international organizations, and businesses should plan now for how essential corporate capabilities will be utilized during a large-scale pandemic.
• Industry, national governments, and international organizations should work together to enhance internationally held stockpiles of medical countermeasures to enable rapid and equitable distribution during a severe pandemic.
• Countries, international organizations, and global transportation companies should work together to maintain travel and trade during severe pandemics.
• Governments should provide more resources and support for the development and surge manufacturing of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics that will be needed during a severe pandemic.
• Global business should recognize the economic burden of pandemics and fight for stronger preparedness.
• International organizations should prioritize reducing economic impacts of epidemics and pandemics.
• Governments and the private sector should assign a greater priority to developing methods to combat mis- and disinformation prior to the next pandemic response.

As well, experts presented formal recommendations stemming from the conference in the Global Health Security Index, a comprehensive report card of sorts, ranking each country in the world on their pandemic preparedness. The results, according to JHU, were “discouraging”; the average scored earned by 195 countries was 40 out of 100. The United States topped the list at 83.5. However, some of the countries currently ravaged by COVID-19 scored differently: Italy (56.2), China (48.2), Iran (37.7). Now look at the death tolls and numbers of these countries’ citizens infected at the moment — pretty telling.

Was It Too Late?

Unfortunately, Event 201 took place too close to the real thing for any of its findings and takeaways to be useful before the advent of the COVID-19 outbreak a month later. Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control Chikwe Ihekweazu explained that it is hard to get corporations and governments to care about a hypothetical problem [Event 201] that is not directly impacting them. It is the “panic-neglect” cycle. This is the cycle where an outbreak grabs attention and resources, but these quickly fade away as the pandemic recedes. In between the cycle, there is no preparation, no vaccine development, and no distribution of life-saving resources.

When there is no pandemic, Ihekweazu says, it is difficult to drum up support. Maybe this is why COVID-19 currently affects more than 150,000 people.

The COVID-19 coronavirus quarantine has got everyone going a little bit stir crazy. People are stuck in their homes. Kids are not at school. Most people can’t even get out during the day to go to work. You’ve watched almost every post-apocalyptic movie out there – now what? How do you pass the time and stay sane? Survival board games, of course.

by Derrick James

The games in this list are great for any SHTF scenario, not just a quarantine. Stack them on the shelf in your survival bunker!

The board game market is quite different than when I was a kid. There’s an entire sub-market now for niche board games, specialty games with unique twists and themes. It’s relatively easy now for people to come up with a game idea, go onto Kickstarter’s table top games section, and try to get their idea funded. Doom & Bloom did this with their Survivor game (no longer available). Board Game Geek is a site devoted to fans of these unique games. There’s truly something for everyone.

These niche games, as you can imagine, typically come at a premium price. They’re limited run games so they can’t reach the same economy of scale that Monopoly might get. Limited run does not mean low quality, however. My experience has shown just the opposite, that these games are actually higher quality than mass produced games. Regardless, I’ve tried to provide a mix of games in the list below. Some you’ve inevitably heard of before, others – probably not.

Best Survival Board Games for a Quarantine

#10 – Last Night on Earth

Zombies! They provide great entertainment and escapism (perfect for a quarantine). Last Night on Earth is a fast-paced game where hero players must try to survive by working together to make it through the night. The zombie players control the waves of undead that are growing across the entire town. This game is so popular it comes with expansion sets for people who just can’t quite get enough braaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnssssss!

#9 – Maximum Apocalypse

Maximum Apocalypse is a cooperative game where 1-6 players work together to survive in a post-collapse civilization. The game map is randomly generated, so it’s unique each time. You start by picking a survivor class and then you plan your strategy while working together to rely on each character’s skills. Scout the map, defeat vicious beasts, and avoid deadly traps. If you can find enough gas and get back to your van – you can escape and win. If you’re overwhelmed by the monsters or die of starvation – you lose.

#8 – Twilight Struggle

Twilight Struggle is a little-known, but great game of Cold War survival. The game is limited to two players, but it’s an exceptionally unique game. It simulates the 45-year Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. It recreates that war, so it offers a bit of a history lesson at the same time. Great for plenty of time to kill, the game can run 3-4 hours to complete, so you can start it, then go back to it later. Players move their units and exert their influence. Great reviews accompany this game. Great for ages 13 and up.

#7 – Zpocalypse

Another zombie board game. Zpocalypse has a cult-like following. Set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, 2-4 players start in a fallout shelter and have to move through tunnels and sewers through a transforming board. Scavenge supplies, upgrade your gun, and fight off the zombies. It’s probably the most expensive game in this list, but with a playing time of 100 minutes, a few rounds of the game could make it worth it as you try to burn through the hours of a quarantine day after day after day. It’s not the Apocalypse, it’s the Zpocalypse.

#6 – Risk

The only way to survive the war is to win the war. Hasbro’s 60th Anniversary Edition of this classic game has over 2,000 reviews – and for good reason. A mix of luck and strategy, you seek global domination against your opponents. The best part of this game – for a quarantine – is that it can go on… and on… and on… but what else do you have to do? Nothing. Remember – take Australia!

#5 – The Walking Dead

We’re halfway through our list of the ten best survival board games. Based on the TV series, of course. The Walking Dead board game is a reasonably-priced game where players take on the role of characters from the show. You need to go on supply runs and return to camp before it’s too late. If you die, you come back as a zombie to hunt down the remaining players. The rules are easy to learn. For 1-4 players aged 15+.

#4 – The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Game

Nothing says “survival game” like The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Game. Loved by many, this game challenges players’ survival instincts while simultaneously teaching survival skills in various, somewhat wild scenarios. For example, can you fight off a shark or land an airplane? If you provide the correct answer you move on to an even worse situation. The game has 600 questions for ages 8 and up.

#3 – Conflicted: Survive the Apocalypse

The world has come to a bitter end. If you want to survive, you need to think strategically, be cunning, and use your negotiation skills. Conflicted: Survive the Apocalypse is a player versus player game for 2-6 players aged 13 and up. Each player is a leader who needs to find supplies and followers. You build a camp that you have to defend from others. Do you have what it takes to come out on top?

#2 – Axis and Allies

Another classic war survival game. This game has been around for a long while and for good reason. It is a great way to pass a few hours (literally) while simultaneously giving those kids a little World War II history lesson… sort of. Recommended age group is 13-15 years, but having played this game, it’s more the minimum age as this board game is great for college students right on up through adulthood. Axis and Allies Pacific 1940 by Wizards of the Coast is but one of several different variations of the game. Bonus – It can actually be combined with Axis and Allies Europe 1940 for even greater game play. Bigger Bonus – They even make Axis & Allies & Zombies!

#1 – Pandemic

Maybe I chose Pandemic as the best survival game in this list because I’m writing this post during the COVID-19 coronavirus quarantine. It seems timely and fitting. You’re members of an elite disease-fighting team working together to contain outbreaks. There are researchers, scientists, dispatchers, quarantine specialists, and medics. You need to simultaneously treat infections while gathering all of the necessary resources to find possible cures. For 2-4 players with a game time of 45 minutes.

Best Survival Board Games Summary

For as popular as survivalism and personal preparedness is, I actually expected to find more games within this genre. While there are others, the top ten list I have here is – what appears to me – the cream of the crop. I’m sure there are others, however. Did I miss one on your list of the best?

The post Top Ten Best Survival Board Games appeared first on SHTF blog – Modern Survival.

You’ve tried every grocery store in town and nobody has much in the way of food. You also can’t find batteries of any size or nitrile gloves. This is the reality as coronavirus (COVID-19) reaches across America and people begin to shelter in place. Necessary supplies to fight off the coronavirus spread are at a minimum. So, now what? Do you sit around hoping a delivery truck arrives to one of your usual stops and that you’re lucky enough to get there in time? Maybe try bribing a manager to set something aside for you when they get more stock in? Or, do you start thinking outside the box?

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Where to Go for Coronavirus Supplies

Once you start exploring what lies beyond the beaten path, you may find what you seek, or at least things that will serve a similar purpose. We’re going to take a look at several of these options, but before we do, a couple of caveats.

First, odds are you’ll pay a higher markup on these items compared to where you typically shop for them. Let’s face it, most of us have, if only through trial and error, found where we can rely upon getting the best deal on the things we need. In the examples we’re going to outline here, it isn’t that the proprietors are engaging in price gouging. Rather, it is because the products you’re seeking aren’t their bread and butter, so to speak.

Second, the stock on these things probably won’t be much per store. You likely won’t find a dozen cases of gloves. But, you should be able to find a box or two and that might be enough. It certainly is better than coming home empty-handed. Also, consider that you can order from many of these sorts of companies online. Sure, you might have to bite the bullet and actually pay for shipping. But, better paying a little extra than staring at an empty shelf at home.

Office Supply Stores

As a writer, I’ve long been enamored with office supplies. Pens, notepads, folders, all of it. When back to school sales start up, I’m more excited than my kids to go shopping. Even I was surprised the first time I visited a true office supply store, though. They carry far more than writing utensils and printer ink cartridges.

• Hand sanitizer – from pocket size to bathroom dispensers; or, just make your DIY hand sanitizer if possible.
• Coffee – K-cups, filters, even machines.
• Snack food – sweet, crunchy, all sorts of goodies.
• Bottled water – small or large bottles.
• Cleaning supplies – think janitorial, as well as basic paper towels and such.

Hardware Stores

Whether we’re talking about one of the giant home improvement warehouses or the neighborhood shop, they usually carry more than just nails, screws, and tools. Now granted, a lot of the standard hardware-type products are, in and of themselves, handy to have for making quick repairs and such when you can’t call on someone to do it for you. But, we’re looking outside the box.

• Toilet paper – this one surprised me, too, but many chain stores do carry it.
• Bottled water – seems like you can find this almost anywhere you shop these days.
• Cleaning products – all manner of disinfectants and other related chemicals.
• Cleaning implements – sponges, scrub brushes, mops, and more.
• Personal protective equipment – safety goggles, gloves, masks.
• Batteries – common sizes, as well as obscure, depending on the store.

Auto Parts Stores

For some, these places are as familiar as their own living room and they love to chat with the employees about engine esoterica. For others, it is aisle after aisle of mysterious implements and intriguing gadgetry. But, hidden among those racks of well-thumbed parts guides and jugs of window wash are a few things that are likely of interest to the pandemic prepper.

• Protective gear – nitrile gloves are usually well-stocked, along with eye protection.
• Shop rags – these work well for many cleaning chores.
• Paper towel – not ideal by any means, but if you’re unable to find toilet paper anywhere …
• Cleaning chemicals – basic stuff like glass cleaner, but still useful.

Farm Supply Stores

You aren’t likely to find these in hardcore urban areas, but they are growing popular in the suburbs. Many of them seem to cater to both the actual farmers and homesteaders, as well as those who hope to join those ranks someday. On one hand, you’ll find virtually everything you’ll need to plant a garden, raise chickens, and fix a tractor. On the other, you’ve never seen so many different home décor products featuring cows in your entire life.

• Pet food – they have a good variety and sometimes in larger bags than you’ll find elsewhere.
• Vet medications – do your own homework, but they do usually carry things like fish mox.
• Garden supplies – come spring, seeds, soil, and such may be available.
• Canning jars and lids – depending on the store and the time of year, these may be on the shelf.

Online

If you have a specific item or brand you’re hunting, try going directly to the source. Many manufacturers sell products direct to customers as well as work through distributors. Not all of them, of course, but enough to make it worth your while to check around. And again, you might talk to those in your circle about a group purchase so as to help spread the cost around.

When I repeatedly warned that a large portion of the population was completely and utterly unprepared for any sort of a serious economic downturn, I was not exaggerating one bit.  A survey that was taken last August found that 59 percent of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck at that time, and that wasn’t going to be a major problem as long as the paychecks kept rolling in.  But now we have seen the biggest spike in unemployment in the history of our country, and millions of workers suddenly don’t have paychecks coming in anymore.  In just a matter of weeks, economic desperation on a massive scale has erupted from coast to coast, and the stress that this is putting on food banks and other charities that work with the poor has been unprecedented.

Everyone has seen photos of the “bread lines” during the Great Depression of the 1930s, but in many instances the lines of vehicles that are lining up for free food here in 2020 are even longer.

For example, just yesterday vehicles lined up for “about a mile” at a “pop-up food pantry” in Van Nuys, California…

A pop-up food pantry in Southern California on Thursday drew so many people that the line of cars waiting for free groceries stretched about a mile (1.6 km), a haunting sign of how the coronavirus pandemic has hurt the working poor.

Hundreds of other people, many wearing trash bags to shelter from the rain, arrived at the one-day grocery giveaway on foot, forming a blocks-long queue in Van Nuys, in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles.

Further south, vehicles were “lined up 14 deep” at a Feeding San Diego food distribution event last weekend, and all of the food was completely gone in less than an hour…

At Feeding San Diego’s emergency drive-thru distribution Saturday, vehicles lined up 14 deep in the SDCCU Stadium parking lot for boxes filled with produce and nonperishable food. About 1,200 vehicles were served until the food bank ran out in just under an hour.

I can’t recall ever seeing anything quite like this.

Yes, things got really bad during the last recession, but not this bad.

Over the last two and a half weeks, Feeding San Diego has purchased more food than it normally does in an entire year, but it hasn’t been nearly enough to meet the crushing demand.

Of course scenes like this aren’t just happening in California.  On Thursday morning, a line of vehicles that was “miles” long formed outside of a food distribution event in Las Vegas…

Food distribution for Las Vegans in need prompted a line of cars to form for miles Thursday morning in central Las Vegas.

Cars stretched from Rancho Drive, where food was being handed out at Palace Station, all the way past Valley View Boulevard.

And the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank has been making headlines for quite a while now because the demand for food has been so great.  The National Guard has actually stepped in to help distribute food there, and NBC News is reporting that the line of vehicles waiting for food on Monday afternoon was “over 2 miles long”…

On Monday afternoon, at one of its drive-thru distribution operations, over 15,785 pounds of food were handed out every hour. The line of vehicles wrapped down a nearby highway and stretched over 2 miles long.

BACKED UP OVER A MILE: Hundreds of Pittsburgh residents waited in line for hours to receive boxes of food from the Greater #Pittsburgh Community Food Bank amid the Coronavirus pandemic. More: https://t.co/xoYb8iJQFn pic.twitter.com/X6z2ahTQvZ

— KDKA (@KDKA) April 6, 2020

Isn’t it crazy how much things have changed in America in just a matter of a couple months?

The very first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was announced in late January, and now here in early April we are seeing extreme desperation all over the nation.

Just yesterday, “thousands of cars lined up” at a food distribution event in San Antonio, Texas…

The San Antonio Food Bank distributed one million pounds of food to roughly 6,000 families in a single day as millions across the country turn to charity organizations to avoid going hungry amid coronavirus lockdowns.

Stunning aerial photos show thousands of cars lined up at Trader’s Village in San Antonio, Texas, during the massive food distribution event on Thursday.

Families in need waited hours to get their hands on fresh fruit, vegetables and other non-perishable goods that have become hard to find in traditional stores as panic-buying leaves shelves empty.

Distributing a million pounds of food on a single day is definitely an impressive feat, and they should be congratulated for their efforts.

But will they be able to do it over and over again as the economic suffering intensifies in the months ahead?

As donations from major retailers dry up, and as demand continues to escalate, food banks all over America are going to have to raise staggering amounts of money.

Even in rural areas, food banks are having to spend crazy amounts of money just to keep up with demand…

In an average month, Brian Barks, the CEO of Food Bank for the Heartland, spends about $73,000 buying food to distribute to people in need across Nebraska and western Iowa.

Last month, as the coronavirus was spreading across the U.S., he spent $675,000.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 is starting to cause some food production facilities here in the United States to completely shut down.  Here is one example…

Tyson Foods was forced to suspend operations at a pork processing plant in Columbus Junction, Iowa this week, after more than 24 employees there tested positive for coronavirus.

And Smithfield Foods is closing down a very large facility in South Dakota after more than 80 employees tested positive…

On Thursday, Smithfield Foods announced that it will close its processing plant near Sioux Falls, South Dakota, after state officials said more than 80 employees there had tested positive for coronavirus.

The company will suspend operations in a large section of the plant on Saturday and completely shutter on Easter Sunday and Monday, the company said. During the shutdown, the plant will be thoroughly sanitized, and more physical barriers will be erected around workstations to isolate employees.

This is just one of the reasons why it was so important to get prepared in advance, because things can get very chaotic in a crisis situation.  As I have discussed previously, food distribution systems are becoming extremely stressed around the country, farmers are having a very difficult time getting enough temporary workers during this pandemic, food production facilities are being hit hard by this coronavirus, and food banks are being overwhelmed by a tsunami of desperate people.

And of course other nations all over the globe are dealing with similar issues.

At the same time, the plague of locusts that has been hammering Africa and the Middle East has reached a dangerous new stage.  According to PBS, a new wave of “billions” of young locusts are voraciously eating crops…

Weeks before the coronavirus spread through much of the world, parts of Africa were already threatened by another kind of plague, the biggest locust outbreak some countries had seen in 70 years.

Now the second wave of the voracious insects, some 20 times the size of the first, is arriving. Billions of the young desert locusts are winging in from breeding grounds in Somalia in search of fresh vegetation springing up with seasonal rains.

As I have discussed before, some of these locust swarms are the size of major cities, and once they descend on a farm they can literally eat all of the vegetation in as little as 30 seconds.

Without a doubt, this is going to cause widespread famine, and in some areas the food riots have already begun.  For example, check out what just took place in Kenya…

In the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, people desperate for food stampeded, pushing through a gate at a district office in the Kibera slum. Police fired tear gas, injuring several people.

Sadly, this is just the beginning.

The global economy is collapsing, global food production and global food distribution systems are under an extraordinary amount of stress, and COVID-19 is going to be with us for a long time to come.

Anyone that assumes that things are going to go back to “normal” soon is just being delusional.  A nightmare scenario is unfolding right in front of our eyes, and we are still just in the very early chapters.

About the Author: I am a voice crying out for change in a society that generally seems content to stay asleep. My name is Michael Snyder and I am the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe. I have written four books that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned) By purchasing those books you help to support my work. I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but due to government regulations I need those that republish my articles to include this “About the Author” section with each article. In order to comply with those government regulations, I need to tell you that the controversial opinions in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the websites where my work is republished. The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions. Those responding to this article by making comments are solely responsible for their viewpoints, and those viewpoints do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Michael Snyder or the operators of the websites where my work is republished. I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.  During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with all many people as we possibly can.

Tarps are very useful survival tools and a lot of preppers suggest you have at least one in your supplies. Tarps can be used to collect rainwater and build shelters making them extremely valuable to preppers.

In this article, we’ll focus on the shelter aspect of a tarp. When it comes to surviving a prolonged wilderness related disaster, one of your primary concerns is going to be finding or building a shelter. After finding a source of water, making a shelter should be next. That’s why preppers often carry some sort of shelter equipment in their vehicle survival kits or as a part of their bug-out bags. Should something go wrong, having the ability to quickly set up a shelter can mean the difference between life and death!

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Most tents, even the smallest ones, are bulky and take some time to set up.  A tarp, on the other hand, can be fashioned into a shelter fairly quickly. With little more than a bit of paracord and a tarp, you can quickly set up an improvised shelter that will keep you warm and dry.

*For all of those beginner preppers: paracord is an essential. It’s probably one of the first things you should consider buying and adding to your supplies.  Right up there with food storage and water collection, having paracord is one of the most important survival items you can purchase.

Off Grid Survival put together a great image showing the different types of shelters you can easily make using a tarp and some paracord. Practicing these is probably the best way to learn to put these shelters up, as you probably won’t be able to get to this image if you’re in a SHTF situation.

It also won’t hurt to be able to make several of these quickly and know which ones will work the best for your area. If you take these hiking or hunting it would be beneficial to be able to make the shelters that will be the best for the location you plan to be at. Practice makes perfect, so again, practice, practice, practice.  Go in the woods and see if you can figure out how to put up a shelter. Practice in your backyard.

Do what you need to do to learn this skill.  It’s often not one too many consider and with all the new preppers out there, we wanted to make it clear that knowing this could be a life-saving skill.

I know, I’ve been on a victory garden blog post kick of late. There are a few reasons I’ve been writing about growing victory garden vegetables: first, victory gardens are the type of garden preppers should maintain; two, I love history, and victory gardens have a big place in American history; and third, victory gardens are on everyone’s mind right now with COVID-19, as evidenced by recent articles in Berkeleyside, CBS News, New York Times, and even Realtor.com.

by Derrick James

I’m no professional gardener, but I have dug into the dirt more than once. I even built my own concrete block raised bed garden for vegetables. I’m not relying on my amateur experience for this post, however. I’m not making up this list of the best victory garden vegetables. The list comes from the WWII-era ABC of Victory Gardens pamphlet (linked to at the end of this post).

The vegetables listed below, I believe, were chosen at the time because they’re forgiving, meaning easy to grow, hearty. They are also – for the most part – vegetables that grow in abundance and come with a high nutrient and calorie count. These are also the reasons the following vegetables are great choices for a prepper’s survival garden.

24 Must-Have Victory Garden Vegetables

1. Beans (BUSH) – A “must” for every garden. Great producer and easy to grow. Likes sandy loam. Sow early in May or when the soil is warm. Plant every two weeks up to August 1st for continuous supply. Rows 18″ apart. Seeds two to three inches apart and two inches deep. One packet for 25′ row. Organic Blue Lake Bush Bean Seeds
2. BEANS (POLE) – Very productive! Matures later than bush beans but bear longer. Plant second week in May; not later than June 15th. Place rough 7′ poles at least 1′ in the ground about 3′ apart. Sow seeds around each pole. Thin to 3 or 4 of the strongest plants. One packet for 15 poles. Organic Kentucky Pole Bean Seeds
3. BEANS (BUSH LIMAS) – One of the most succulent of all garden favorites! Likes rich sandy soil. Plant about May 15th with the eyes down in rows 2.5′ apart and seeds 5″ apart. Thin to 10″. Never cultivate or touch plants when wet. A 25′ row requires 1.5 packets. Henderson Baby Lima Bean Seeds
4. BEETS – An old time favorite that requires little attention. A good storage crop for winter use. Likes a rich well-loosened sandy loam. Sow every three weeks to end of July for continuous supply. Sow seeds 1″ apart and 1″ deep in rows 18″ apart. Thin to 3″. Use tops for greens. One packet for a 25′ row. Organic Gaea’s Blessing Beets Seeds
5. BROCCOLI – Start seed in a cold frame on March 15. Transplant about April 30th. For later crop, sow seeds May 30th in rows 2′ apart. Thin to 18″. Plants will continue to bear after first cutting. One packet for a 25′ row. Waltham Broccoli Seeds
6. CELTUCE – Delicious as salad or cooked. Grows easily and quickly. Has four times more Vitamin C than lettuce. Use the leaves and inside meat of the stalk. Plant about April 30th in rows 2′ apart. Thin to 6″. One packet for a 25′ row. 100 Celtuce Seeds
7. CARROTS – Soil must be deeply worked and loose. Sow April 15th in rows 1′ apart and 1″ deep. Thin to 3″. Sow every two weeks to July 1st for continuous supply. One packet for a 25′ row. Rainbow Blend Carrot Seeds
8. CABBAGE (EARLY) – Sow seeds indoors late in February and transplant early in April, or buy plants at that time. Plant in rows 18″ apart with 18″ between plants. They like a light dry soil. Will mature in about 90 days. Cultivate lightly as roots are near surface. Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbage Seeds
9. CABBAGE (LATE) – Sow this variety outdoors in May or June. Transplant in July, or buy plants at that time. This type likes heavier richer soil. Will mature in October or November. Plant in rows 2′ apart with 18″ between plants. Beware of the cabbage moth! Late Flat Dutch Cabbage Seeds
10. CHARD (SWISS) – Very tasty. You can cut and it comes again and again. Many people prefer it to spinach. Plant rows 18″ apart. Thin plants to 6″. Sow in April or May. One packet for a 25′ row. David’s Garden Swiss Chard Seeds
11. CORN (SWEET) – Be sure to have some if your garden is big enough. Plant May 1st to May 15th when soil is thoroughly warm. For a continuous supply, sow every two weeks until end of July. Plant in rows 3′ apart with seeds every 4″. Thin to 12″. Alternatively, plant in hills 3′ apart each way, allowing 2 or 3 plants to remain in each hill. Plant in a number of short rows instead of a few long ones, as an aid to pollination. One packet for 4 twenty-five foot rows. Peaches and Cream Sweet Corn Seeds
12. KALE – It is full of vitamins and delicious when cooked. Sow seeds from April 15th to August 15th. Frost improves its flavor. Plant in rows 3′ apart. Thin or transplant the seedlings 12″ apart. One packet for a 25′ row. Curly Kale Seeds
13. LETTUCE – America’s favorite salad! It’s crisp, tender, and high in vitamins and minerals. For a head start, plant seeds indoors or in a cold frame about March 1st. Transplant or sow seeds outdoors as soon as soil can be worked. Sow every two weeks until August for continuous supply. Plant in rows 12″ apart; thin to 6″. One packet will so two 50′ rows. Lettuce Lovers Seed Collection
14. OKRA – A vigorous grower not found in enough gardens. Easy to grow. Young pods are delicious as cooked vegetable or for use in soups and dishes. Plant May 15th in rows 2′ apart. Thin plants to 18″. Two packets for a 25′ row. Texas Longhorn Okra Seeds
15. ONIONS (SEED) – They like a well-tilled, well-drained soil. Plant as soon as ground can be worked in rows 1′ apart and 1/2″ deep. Thin to 3″ (or more if larger types are grown). Bend tops down (but don’t break off) when bulbs are full grown to hasten ripening a good crop for storage. One packet for a 25′ row. Civilys Giant Onion Seeds
16. ONIONS (SETS) – These will mature much more quickly than seeds. Can be thinned out and used as scallions in about 6 weeks. Plant April 15th 2 or 3″ apart in rows 1′ apart about 1/2″ deep. One pints will do two 25′ rows. Hill Creek Evergreen Bunching Onion Seeds
17. PARSNIPS – If you ever tasted tender parsnips, you would grow some most certainly. Requires a deeply worked soil. Sow about May 1st in rows 2′ apart and 1/2″ deep. Thin to 4″. Frost improves their flavor. A good crop for winter storage. One packet for a 25′ row. Organic All American Heirloom Parsnip Seeds
18. PEAS – No other vegetables is so universally popular and with good reason. A freshly picked garden grown pea is unsurpassed for flavor and tenderness. Plant early in March as soon as ground can be worked. Plant in rows 2′ apart and 2″ deep. Place seeds 2″ apart. Do not thin out. Use trellis netting when seed is planted. Repeat plantings every two weeks until last May. Use 1/8 pound of seed for a 25′ row. Little Marvel Pea Seeds
19. POTATOES – The gardener’s bread and butter. They like a rich sandy loam with plenty of humus. Buy good seed potatoes. Cut them nito pieces with 1 or 2 eyes. Plant April 15th in rows 30″ apart, 12″ apart, and 4″ deep. You will need about 2 lbs. for a 25′ row. White Kennebec Seed Potatoes 5 lbs
20. RADISHES – They like a sandy loam but will grow well in any type. They grow quickly especially if a quick-acting fertilizer is applied. You should sow them every 2 weeks from April 15th to August 15th. Plant in rows 1′ apart 1/2″ deep. Thin to 2″. One packet for a 25′ row. Early Scarlet Globe Radish Seeds
21. SPINACH – An easy crop to grow with good soil and cool weather. Plant your first crop April 15th in rows 1.5′ apart, 1/2″ deep. Thin to 5″ apart. Sow every two weeks until June 15th. Plant your seeds for a fall supply from August 15th to September 15th. One packet for a 25′ row. Gaea’s Blessing Organic Spinach Seeds
22. SQUASH (BUSH) – Easy to grow and prolific. Delicious when fried, baked, or stewed. Plant in hills 3′ apart each way. Sow seeds in each hill 1″ deep. Thin to 4 of the strongest plants. One packet will do for 10 hills. Bush Baby Zucchini Summer Squash Seeds
23. TOMATOES – A crop that seldom fails. It likes almost any kind of soil. You can sow seed indoors about March 15th, but most gardeners prefer to buy plants and set them out around May 15th. Plant them singly in hills at least 3′ apart each way. The tomatoes will ripen better if you tie the plants as they grow, to sturdy tomato cages. Pinch off side shoots as they appear, to make the fruit larger. Burpee Fourth of July Hybrid Seeds
24. TURNIPS – A good substantial tasty dish. Hardy and easy to grow. Plant April 15th in rows 1′ apart. Thin to 4″. A grand winter storage crop. Make a 2nd planting in July or August. 1/2 packet for a 25′ row. David’s Garden Turnip Seeds

Vitamin Values Chart

If you enjoyed this post, see my related posts: What is the Best Victory Garden Size for You? and Preparing Soil for a Victory Garden. Also, feel free to download the ABC of Victory Gardens pamphlet from which most of the information in this post was derived. Thanks for reading and prep garden on!

The post 24 Must-Have Victory Garden Vegetables appeared first on SHTF blog – Modern Survival.

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Thank You, ShtfPlan.com Staff

Finally, we have begun to hear solutions that don’t require the government to enslave the population and people to give up their basic human rights in order to fight COVID-19.  One epidemiologist has now said that if we want to “exterminate” the coronavirus, lockdowns will need to be lifted immediately.

Knut Wittkowski, previously the longtime head of the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design at the Rockefeller University in New York City, said in an interview with the Press and the Public Project that the coronavirus could be “exterminated” people were allowed to lead normal lives, free from the shackles of house arrest politicians have placed on them. We need to shelter only the most vulnerable parts of society until the danger had passed, not lockdown everyone.

When asked about Anthony Fauci, the White House “medical expert” who for weeks has been propagating fear in the public and predicting significant numbers of COVID-19 deaths in America as well as major ongoing disruptions to daily life possibly for years, Wittkowski replied: “Well, I’m not paid by the government, so I’m entitled to actually do science.”

The veteran scholar of epidemiology has warned that the ongoing lockdowns throughout the United States and the rest of the world are almost certainly just prolonging the coronavirus outbreak rather than doing anything to truly mitigate it. On top of that, the government has destroyed the most financially vulnerable people by prohibiting them from making a living.  “Going outdoors is what stops every respiratory disease,” Wittkowski said.

And he isn’t the only doctor who says people need to go outside to get their vitamin D in order to fight off the virus. “[W]hat people are trying to do is flatten the curve. I don’t really know why. But, what happens is if you flatten the curve, you also prolong, to widen it, and it takes more time. And I don’t see a good reason for a respiratory disease to stay in the population longer than necessary,” he said according to a report by The College Fix. 

Dr. Ron Paul On Coronavirus Panic: The Real Danger “Is The Government’s Overreaction”

Many politicians claim flattening the curve prevents hospitals from being overrun.  But few hospitals have had problems keeping up with COVID-19 patients.



“With all respiratory diseases, the only thing that stops the disease is herd immunity. About 80% of the people need to have had contact with the virus, and the majority of them won’t even have recognized that they were infected, or they had very, very mild symptoms, especially if they are children. So, it’s very important to keep the schools open and kids mingling to spread the virus to get herd immunity as fast as possible, and then the elderly people, who should be separated, and the nursing homes should be closed during that time, can come back and meet their children and grandchildren after about 4 weeks when the virus has been exterminated,” he added.

Instead, the mainstream media took to fear-mongering and the government has instituted martial law in parts of the country to lock people in their homes to try and prevent the spread of the coronavirus.  As we have all seen going into a month worth of lockdowns, the only thing we have achieved is a guarantee this virus will come back and millions of people won’t be able to make ends meet for months or possibly even years.  The damage done to society and some people’s livelihoods is irreparable.  This lockdown experiment has been an abject failure and one that should never be repeated again.  If people cared about their basic rights as human beings, they would have never allowed any government official to get away with closing their business and placing them on weeks of house arrest.

Wittkowski stated that the standard cycle of respiratory diseases is a two-week outbreak, including a peak, after which “it’s gone.” He pointed out that even in a regime of “social distancing,” the virus will still find ways to spread, just more slowly:

You cannot stop the spread of a respiratory disease within a family, and you cannot stop it from spreading with neighbors, with people who are delivering, who are physicians—anybody. People are social, and even in times of social distancing, they have contacts, and any of those contacts could spread the disease. It will go slowly, and so it will not build up herd immunity, but it will happen. And it will go on forever unless we let it go. -Dr. Knut Wittkowski

But if the lockdowns are lifted, and the chains removed from humanity, governments will be seen for what they really are: masters willing to use tyranny and destroy lives for profit. Don’t expect any government to relinquish power so willingly.

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Thank You, ShtfPlan.com Staff

It is during times of great crisis that we find out who we really are.  Now that strict “shelter-in-place” orders have been instituted all over the world, most people have a lot more free time than usual.  Of course some are using all of this extra free time for constructive purposes, but many others have decided that “self-medicating” is the best way to “cope” with this coronavirus pandemic.  When under great pressure, people tend to gravitate to whatever is most important to them, and that is why what we are witnessing during this pandemic is so alarming.  Just check out these new numbers…

The virtual-sex trade has got a lift: Pornhub, the leading adult entertainment website, saw a near-12% increase in global traffic from Feb. 24 to March 17. British lingerie chain Ann Summers said sex toy sales were up 27% in the last week of March compared to the same period a year ago, with its quietest vibrator fast becoming its best seller.

Self-medicating is all the rage. U.S. states including California, Colorado, Oregon and Alaska where cannabis is legal have reported 50% sales increases from March 16 and March 22, according to Flowhub. Online booze sales in the United States rose 243% in the week ending March 21, according to market research firm Nielsen. Binge buying drove British alcohol sales up 22% in March, according to Kantar.

Of course some of the sales increases can be explained by the fact that people have been stocking up on just about everything in recent days.

At this point, most Americans have suddenly become “preppers”, and online grocery delivery services have been absolutely overwhelmed…

As the crisis hit, delivery orders surged as millions of Americans stayed home. During the week of March 2, even before some cities and states imposed “stay at home” orders, Instacart, Amazon, and Walmart grocery delivery sales all jumped by at least two-thirds from the year before, according to Earnest Research. Instacart, a platform that partners with more than 25,000 stores in North America, says orders in more recent weeks have surged 150%.

As a result, customers in hard-hit New York City are waiting days to schedule deliveries that usually take just hours.

Needless to say, the law of supply and demand tells us that as demand for basic essentials goes up it is inevitable that prices will rise as well.

And we are already starting to see this.  In fact, it is being reported that the wholesale price of eggs has shot up 180 percent…

If you’re used to starting your day with coffee, orange juice, bacon, toast and some eggs, brace yourself – the price of wholesale eggs in the U.S. has skyrocketed to a shocking 180 percent from its regular price. And reports reveal that increased buying due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is to blame.

As long as fear of the coronavirus persists there will continue to be more “panic buying”, and shortages will begin to emerge.

In fact, Johnson & Johnson is publicly admitting that there is already a serious shortage of Tylenol…

A spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson, the makers of Tylenol, acknowledged the shortage and said the company is working to overcome it.

“We are experiencing record high demand for Tylenol, and despite our producing and shipping product at historic highs, we are experiencing a temporary shortage in some regions in the US,” said Kim Montagnino, Global Corporate Media Relations Senior Director. “We are committed to maintaining our increased production, including running lines up to 24/7 to maximize supply.”

And this may come as a surprise to many of you, but according to USA Today we are also facing a very serious shortage of webcams as well…

Logitech, the company that dominates webcam sales, is sold out of every one it makes. Amazon and Best Buy are out of stock. And price gougers on eBay are selling used models for as high as $420, or more than twice as much as the most expensive Logitech model, the $199 Brio.

“Global demand for webcams is needed from all remote workers, students and in the health care space,” notes analyst Jeremiah Owyang, who himself was able to snag a unit in early March, before they sold out.

With so many people working from home now, demand for webcams has spiked like never before, and it is unclear when they will be widely available again.

Now that most of the country has been locked down, economic activity has come to a standstill, and many Americans are starting to become very desperate for things to return to “normal”.

But even though most Americans are staying home, this virus continues to spread.

In New York City, nearly 20 percent of the entire police force was out sick on Monday…

On Monday, April 6, 2020, 6,974 uniformed members of the NYPD were on the department’s sick report which accounts for 19.3% of the uniformed workforce.

1,935 uniformed members and 293 civilian members of the NYPD have tested positive for the coronavirus.

And on Tuesday the death toll in New York City surged to the highest level yet even though a “shelter-in-place” order has been in place for quite some time now.

That is not good at all.

What makes this even more frightening is that the number of deaths in New York is actually being substantially undercounted because the only coronavirus victims that are included in the official death toll are those that were tested before they died…

Only those tested before they die are counted as COVID-19 victims, a New York City councilman said Monday, sparking fears the actual death toll could be far higher than the 3,400 already recorded.

Mark Levine tweeted: ‘Now only those few who had a test confirmation *before* dying are marked as victims of coronavirus on their death certificate. This almost certainly means we are undercounting the total number of victims of this pandemic.’

So what is the true death toll?

We don’t really know, but what we do know is that the number of people “dying at home” in New York City is now close to 10 times higher than normal…

But another 200 city residents are now dying at home each day, compared to 20 to 25 such deaths before the pandemic, said Aja Worthy-Davis, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner’s office. And an untold number of them are unconfirmed.

Overall, the number of confirmed deaths continues to rise all over the country at a very disturbing pace.

The very first confirmed death from the coronavirus in the United States was announced at the very end of February, and now just over a month later the numbers are really getting crazy…

The number of Americans who have died from coronavirus has nearly doubled in the first week of April alone compared to last month’s entire death toll.

The death toll from the pandemic now stands at 11,000 with more than 368,000 confirmed infections across the United States.

Figures show the number of fatalities has increased drastically by 7,000 in the first six days of April.

Of course most people are assuming that this pandemic will eventually fade (true) and that life in America will soon return to normal (definitely not true at all).

We have entered a time when everything that can be shaken will be shaken, and our world will never be the same again.

Some will respond to adversity by becoming the best people that they can possibly become, while others will “cope” by wallowing in depression, despair and very self-destructive addictions.

You can’t control global events as they spin out of control, but you can control how you respond to them.

You were born for such a time as this, and I encourage all of you to embrace the great challenges that have now been put in front of us.

About the Author: I am a voice crying out for change in a society that generally seems content to stay asleep. My name is Michael Snyder and I am the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe. I have written four books that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned) By purchasing those books you help to support my work. I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but due to government regulations I need those that republish my articles to include this “About the Author” section with each article. In order to comply with those government regulations, I need to tell you that the controversial opinions in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the websites where my work is republished. The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions. Those responding to this article by making comments are solely responsible for their viewpoints, and those viewpoints do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Michael Snyder or the operators of the websites where my work is republished. I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.  During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with all many people as we possibly can.

The post These Very Alarming Numbers Show How People Are “Coping” With The Coronavirus Pandemic appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

Written by Pat Henry on The Prepper Journal.

Editor’s Note: The following review was written and submitted by Prepper Journal associate Hans Brix. Images courtesy of the author.

For AR-15 lovers, we live in a golden age of price and availability. You can buy good quality, fully assembled lowers for $130, and stripped receivers in the $40 range. Given the multitude of manufacturers of $200 parts kits and $500 complete rifles AR-15s, why would anyone go to the trouble of ordering and milling an 80% lower?

Because you can.

The handyman can

I am one of the first to admit that when God was handing out the Handyman gene, I was skipped. The only things I’ve been successful at working on have been firearms and guitars. I’ve assembled several AR-15 rifles from parts kits and a stripped receiver. I’ve added or polished up safeties and sears in several handguns, installed and sighted-in rifle scopes and installed aftermarket triggers and sights on Glocks and 1911 handguns.

But a gunsmith I am not. In fact, I have an old “Lemon-squeezer” style revolver I took apart and can’t get it back together right. There’s a limit to my skills.

I’d read about the whole 80% lower ‘market’, but never really investigated it since AR receivers are affordable and trepidation with my aforementioned lack of skills. So, when 5D Tactical asked if I’d like to review their new router jig, I thought it would be a fun and interesting project.

The jig is up!

Nevertheless, finishing an 80% AR lower couldn’t have been easier with 5D Tactical’s new AR15 Router Jig Pro. It was so straightforward, I’d say that if you can follow instructions and wind up with a receiver that doesn’t work, you didn’t actually follow the instructions.

When the package from 5D Tactical arrived, it contained the jig, several drill bits, and two specially designed end-mills for the included Rigid router and an 80% lower blank. The instruction manual straight forward and has images to demonstrate how to use the jig. 

Nevertheless, I was still worried. I didn’t do well in my junior high school woodworking class and had never run a mill or router before. The closest I’d gotten was Dremel tool I used for smoothing the finger grooves of my Glock Gen 3 frame. I didn’t want to mess up the project.

The folks at 5D Tactical were able to talk me off the ledge and assure me I could do it. “Just go slow, pay attention to what you’re doing, and make sure you use sufficient WD-40 or thread cutting oil. You should be able to get 4-5 receivers completed per end-mill.”

Armed with that knowledge, I headed to a friend’s shop; the prospect of having aluminum chips all over my garage meant doing at home wasn’t likely, even though it was way more convenient. This wound up being a good decision, because it wound up way messier than I expected.

RTFM!

After laying out the part on the bench, I read the instructions and assembled the jig around my receiver. It’s very straightforward and intuitive, especially if you’re familiar with AR receivers. Once assembled, I went to install the end mill and router base plate to the router.

Here was where I stumbled.

Due to the variety of routers available, the instructions didn’t contain any information on HOW to install the endmill and baseplate, and since I’d never used a router before, I had no frame of reference from which to draw. I went to 5D’s website on my phone, since I had no computer and a sketchy LTE connection.

Their website shows several different end mills available based on the router you have. It’s possible, therefore, to purchase the wrong mill for your router if you don’t pay attention or, like me, know what you’re doing. Since 5D had supplied both the router and endmill, that possible error was eliminated, but it’s something to pay attention to before ordering.

Thankfully, my friend had experience using routers, so he watched to make sure I was installing things correctly. In looking things over, I guessed I needed to remove the plastic router base plate then install the 5D baseplate, using the supplied screws. I almost installed the baseplate incorrectly; the cutout should face the opening in the router closest to you, as you can view the milling process in that gap. This was the biggest issue I faced during setup.

Since sitting down to write this article, I discovered a whole page of instructions, including assembly video and router endmill installation guide, at 5D’s website. I just wish I’d looked over the website sooner, as it would have saved me some grief.

Taking care of business

Once everything was put together, I clamped the jig into the vise. Using the supplied 5/32” drill bit, I took the cordless drill to it after a few drops of thread cutting oil. The drill powered through it easily, just make sure to use an oil/lube. Once that was done, it was time to mill.

Making sure I used the shortest pins, I adjusted the depth to match the guidelines on the jig depth adjustment guides. There is a total of 21 passes you’ll need to make, from the very first cut after drilling the pilot hole, to the 21^st that cuts the trigger hole.

Adjustments are in small increments (I don’t know the spacing/depth) for a reason. I didn’t have reading glasses handy, so it was difficult to see if I was lined up with the depth markings, meaning a few times I went over…maybe 1.5-2 lines instead of one line. 

That doesn’t sound like a lot, but it was VERY noticeable when milling, as the bit cut more slowly and started to chatter. I was able to get through those cuts by going more slowly than I had when I made correct adjustment. After a couple of times having that happen, I made sure to err on the side of slightly less adjustment. While it might have taken longer overall by needing to make more cuts, each cutting step was much easier and eliminated all chatter when I went shallower.

After the milling was finished, I got the cordless drill and the other two drill bits and, using some cutting oil and the bushed guide holes in the jig, drilled the safety selector hole and the hammer and trigger pin holes. The drill bit for the safety selector is long enough to go through both sides, but the trigger and hammer pins needed to be drilled from each side. 

Finishing touches

After about an hour, I was finished. We blew away the excess chips, wiped off the cutting oil and admired my handiwork. Then we pulled out the parts bin and completed my lower assembly. All the internals fit great, and the holes for the safety and trigger assembly pins lined up perfectly. We then grabbed some ammo and a couple of uppers and went shooting. My new lower worked flawlessly. 

My friend had several 80% lowers he wanted to finish, so I left the jig with him after I went home. He reported an issue with drilling the plunge hole. Either I had used too much pressure or..something…he said the bit I left looked warped and wouldn’t cut at all. He used one of his own bits and said it worked fine and cannot explain what happened. But on subsequent receivers, he had the same issue with his bit.

For the next two receivers he wound up NOT drilling the plunge hole, and said he got through the process fine. He told me he held router tilted back at an angle, and once the mill was up to speed, would slowly lower it to create the first cut for that depth. When he got to the third step, he made sure to be extra careful so he didn’t mess up the trigger hole. He assembled the three receivers and they worked fine.

Something borrowed, something blue

Interestingly, he has the original 5D Tactical jig and likes new jig much better: 

• The bushings for the safety selector and trigger/hammer pins in the Pro jig made drilling those holes much easier, since he didn’t have to worry as much about damaging the base blocks when drilling them.  
• The larger and heavier support bases were easier to clamp and more secure.
• The support for the receiver extension tube ‘ring’ is much easier to attach, is more secure, and has the vacuum attachment.

Overall, I learned a lot doing this project. Given how affordable complete receivers are, I’m not sure it makes sense from a cost-saving standpoint. But that’s not why a lot of people do this. I asked my friend why he likes doing his 80% receivers so much, when finished lowers are so affordable.

“First, because I can, and I like building things. Also, there may come a day when AR15 rifles are harder to own,” he said. “Having a pile of these finished, or waiting to be finished, is my way of making sure they’ll be available to me. So, paying a little more for an 80% receiver that isn’t in any database is, if you will, a Freedom Tax.”

I can support that.

Lessons learned

• Make sure the end-mill is in the pilot hole and has spun up completely to full speed before starting cuts. It’s less likely to jump or walk (I only did this once).
• Take your time. When I tried to go faster than I probably should have, the mill would start chattering, even on ‘shallow’ cuts. You don’t have to go at a snail’s pace, but don’t try and do a complete pass in 10 seconds. 
• Wear long sleeves – even though they’re aluminum chips, they’re hot when they come off the mill.
• Wear a shop apron – this saved me from getting completely covered in chips.
• The shop vacuum attachment mostly works – I used the vacuum attachment, and while it mitigated some of the chip flying, especially for the first few passes in guide #1, the mill still tossed ships all over the place, and there were piles of chips on the vise and bench. As the cuts deepened, a lot of chips stayed in the receiver.

Finally, I’d like to thank the folks at 5D Tactical for reaching out and supplying the equipment needed to make this work, without any preconditions. All they asked for was an honest review. 

As a courtesy, I provided them a copy of this review beforehand in order to ensure I hadn’t made any missteps during the process but was clear I wouldn’t change my opinion. I questioned the increased number of depth-adjustment hashmarks in the jig I got versus the jig in the video, and they told me they increased the number in order to make shallower passes and extend the life of the endmill, meaning more lowers per bit.

If you’ve ever had a thought about finishing 80% AR-15 receivers, let me assure you, if I can do it, anyone can. And you can’t go wrong with 5D Tactical’s AR-15 jig.

The post Reviewing the 5D Tactical AR Router Jig Pro appeared first on The Prepper Journal.

The mysteries surrounding this COVID-19 pandemic just keep getting deeper and deeper.  When you catch a virus, you are not supposed to test positive, fully recover and test negative, and then some time later start testing positive again.  But this is actually happening in an alarming number of cases, and scientists are absolutely baffled by this.  The information that I am about to share with you is quite disturbing, and hopefully scientists will eventually be able to explain to us precisely why this is taking place.

On Monday, headlines all over the globe breathlessly declared that 51 coronavirus patients in the South Korean city of Daegu had “tested positive again” after supposedly fully recovering…

FEARS have been raised that the coronavirus may be able to remain in the body and “reactivate” later after 51 recovered patients tested positive again.

The patients, from the city of Daegu, South Korea, had all spent time in quarantine while recovering from the virus, but were diagnosed again within days of being released.

At this point, nobody knows how to explain this.

Could it be possible that the tests were faulty?

Could it be possible that these patients became infected a second time?

The researchers that studied these patients are rejecting both of those explanations and instead are floating the theory that the virus “reactivated” in these particular victims…

The 51 cases were identified as part of a study conducted in Daegu, the epicentre of the outbreak in South Korea, by a team of epidemiologists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The center said it did not believe the patients had been reinfected, but that the virus had remained at undetectable levels in their cells and later “reactivated”.

But of course the truth is that they don’t really know why this is happening.

And similar cases have been popping up all over China for quite some time.  In fact, “second-time infections” have been documented “in many regions”…

As China releases more patients who have recovered from the coronavirus, there are an increasing number who are testing positive for the second time. The State Council ’s Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism said last Saturday that second-time infections have been reported in many regions, including Guangdong, Sichuan, Hunan, and Hubei province, where Wuhan is the capital city.

Needless to say, it is likely to have a tremendous impact on public policy if scientists are able to confirm that “second-time infections” can happen very rapidly following a full recovery, and so it is absolutely imperative that scientists get to the bottom of this mystery as rapidly at possible.

So far, researchers in China are reporting that “between 3 and 10% of cured patients became reinfected” shortly after fully recovering from the virus.  The following comes from Fox News…

As many as 10% of recovered coronavirus patients in China tested positive again after being discharged from the hospital, according to a report.

Doctors on the front lines of the outbreak in Wuhan, China — where the virus emerged — reported that between 3 and 10% of cured patients became reinfected with the illness, though it’s unclear whether they were contagious the second time, the South China Morning Post reported.

In the western world, there has been a lot of talk about how it will be “safe” for those that have had the virus to go back to work once they recover because of the immunity that they will have supposedly acquired.

But that may not be a safe assumption to make.

This virus appears to behave very unusually, and making a wrong choice can be the difference between life and death.

In one very alarming case in Wuhan, China, a 36-year-old man that became a confirmed coronavirus case was admitted to the hospital on February 12th.  Two weeks later he was released after he was deemed to have “fully recovered”, but that was not the end of the story…

A 36-year-old man has died of respiratory failure in Wuhan, five days after being discharged from one of the makeshift hospitals built to contain the outbreak, according to a report by Shanghai-based news portal The Paper.
The report, which was later removed, said Li Liang had been admitted to the hospital – built to treat patients with mild and moderate symptoms – on February 12, according to his wife, surnamed Mei. He was discharged two weeks later with instructions to stay in a quarantine hotel for 14 days.

On March 2nd, Li Liang died, and the death certificate clearly stated that COVID-19 was the cause.

But that wasn’t supposed to happen.  He was supposed to have made a complete recovery.

Something isn’t adding up.

Hopefully our scientists will be able to unravel this mystery very soon, because the death toll is rapidly rising.

The very first coronavirus death in the United States happened on February 29th, and now here we are just over a month later and more than 10,000 Americans have perished…

There were 10,335 deaths as of Monday afternoon, according to the Johns Hopkins dashboard, which tracks the numbers.

That total surpasses the number of battle deaths from six U.S. wars combined, according to data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

VA data says a total of 9,961 soldiers died on the battlefield during these six wars: The American Revolution, War of 1812, Mexican War, Indian Wars, Spanish-American War and Desert Shield/Desert Storm.

This pandemic has escalated so dramatically in the U.S. that nearly the entire nation is currently shut down and creepy drones that are barking orders to “maintain social distancing” are hovering over parks in New York City…

WATCH: A drone was seen flying over a Manhattan park on Saturday, urging pedestrians to “maintain social distancing.” https://t.co/5J9DLlunRB pic.twitter.com/VuNu1etBnW

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 5, 2020

Our society has been fundamentally transformed in just a matter of weeks by this pandemic, and many believe that our problems have just begun.

But at this moment there is a lot of optimism in America because the numbers are not growing quite as rapidly as they were last month.

That is definitely a promising sign, but it is only happening because most people are confined to their homes right now.

Once people start resuming their normal activities, that will give the virus a lot more opportunities to spread, and we shall see what happens at that point.

Hopefully these mysteries surrounding COVID-19 can quickly be resolved, because it looks like we will be fighting this virus for a long time to come, and we need the best information that we can possibly get.

About the Author: I am a voice crying out for change in a society that generally seems content to stay asleep. My name is Michael Snyder and I am the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe. I have written four books that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned) By purchasing those books you help to support my work. I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but due to government regulations I need those that republish my articles to include this “About the Author” section with each article. In order to comply with those government regulations, I need to tell you that the controversial opinions in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the websites where my work is republished. The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions. Those responding to this article by making comments are solely responsible for their viewpoints, and those viewpoints do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Michael Snyder or the operators of the websites where my work is republished. I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.  During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with all many people as we possibly can.