Friday, July 28, 2023

Scripture Readings and An Interesting Sermon

By Tim Gamble 

For those keeping 7th Day Sabbath (aka Shabbat), which is sundown Friday through sundown Saturday, here are the scripture readings this week. It's never a bad thing to read the Bible for yourself, so even if you don't keep 7th Day, you may benefit from reading along with us. 

Suggested Bible Readings:

Deuteronomy 3:23 - 7:11
Isaiah 40:1-26
Luke 3:2-15

A Good Sermon:

If you want to watch an interesting sermon, here is a link to one from Paster Joe Fox from a few years ago. Excellent, especially if you are any sort of prepper, survivalist, or just concerned about the downfall of America and the West. 

Pastor Joe Fox: Withdraw and Prepare = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuEorynRiCU

*** You can find Tim Gamble on social media! Follow at Gab (@TimGamble), Instagram (@DystopianSurv), Twitter (@TimGambleSpeaks), and TruthSocial (@TimGambleSpeaks)

Thursday, July 27, 2023

2A Events in Georgia and Michigan This Weekend

By Tim Gamble 

There are two big Second Amendment events taking place this weekend that folks may be interested in attending, if you are nearby.

1) Atlanta, Georgia - The National African American Gun Association will be holding it’s very first national conference for it’s members, July 28, 29th, 30th at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta. The group serves as an advocacy and firearms training organization for black Americans. For more information and tickets to the event, go to https://naaga.swoogo.com/convention23.

2) Detroit, Michigan - Legally Armed in Detroit, a gun safety advocacy group, will host its annual women’s training event on July 29 and 30 at two locations near Detroit. They will be providing free firearm shooting lessons for 2000 women interested in learning more about firearms and personal protection. More information and registration links can be found at https://www.legallyarmedindetroit.com

*** You can find Tim Gamble on social media! Follow at Gab (@TimGamble), Instagram (@DystopianSurv), Twitter (@TimGambleSpeaks), and TruthSocial (@TimGambleSpeaks)
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Updates to Dystopian Survival

By Tim Gamble 

As you may have noticed, I have done some housekeeping on this website over the past few days. Here are the key updates you should know about:

1) Announced that Dystopian Survival is now affiliated with  Refuge Medical and Refuge Training. All Dystopians (that's you!) will automatically receive 10% off at checkout when visiting their store from links on this website. 

2) Announced that I am now on Instagram (as @DystopianSurv). Please follow me there if you have an Instagram account. 

3) Added additional tips to the #SurvivalTips page. There are now 140 Survival Tips listed. 

4) Added a Philanthropy page listing ministries and causes that I support (more will eventually be added). 

5) Updated my FAQs page.

6) Created a new Biography page, with way more information about me than you ever wanted to know. 


July is always a very slack month for my websites, in terms of both readership and revenue. This is probably because folks are dealing with the kids being out of school, taking vacations, working their own gardens, and otherwise doing life. I am looking forward to resuming normal activity in the coming months. 

Thank you for reading my websites. And especially a big thank you to those of you who subscribe to them!

*** You can find Tim Gamble on social media! Follow at Gab (@TimGamble), Instagram (@DystopianSurv), Twitter (@TimGambleSpeaks), and TruthSocial (@TimGambleSpeaks)
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Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Privacy Statement, Cookie Policy, and Important Notices

The following is the official Privacy Statement, Cookie Policy, and Important Notices for DystopianSurvival.com, as of July 26, 2023. It replaces all other statements.

Privacy is important. This website does not secretly collect any personally identifiable information on its readers and visitors. The only personal information I have on you is any information you voluntarily give in a comment or when subscribing by email. 

The purpose of this website is to provide information and opinion on a variety of topics typically relating to self-reliance, emergency preparedness, urban and suburban survival, wilderness survival, personal finance, privacy, security, operational security, homesteading, gardening, and bushcraft (outdoor skills). It also may contain religious content (from a Biblical literalist perspective), political content (from a Constitutional literalist perspective), and other educational materials.       

This website itself does NOT use cookies, however third party applications associated this website, such as Google and Amazon, may use them. Those cookies are controlled by the third party using them, and are governed by their privacy terms.  I have no access to any personally identifiable information they may collect. To read Amazon's privacy terms click here: Amazon Privacy Notice. To read Google's privacy terms click here: Google Privacy & Terms.

Email Subscriptions: I do offer email subscriptions, the purpose of which is to notify subscribers of new articles, posts, and updates on this website (which may include advertising). The email subscription service is managed by Follow.It. I will never sell, rent, lease, or otherwise provide your email to any other party. You may unsubscribe to email at any time by clicking the "Manage My Subscription" link at the bottom of the email and following the instructions.

Advertising:  This website does contain advertising. However all advertising is static, non-personalized. In other words, you see the same ads and links as everyone else. Advertising on this website is NOT personally tailored to individual readers. This website does NOT use Google Adsense. This website does NOT use pop-up ads (I hate those myself). If you see any pop-up advertising, it was placed there by your ISP or other third-party without my knowledge or permission. 

Affiliations: This website is affiliated with Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Purchases made through links to Amazon.com on this website help fund this website. Thank You for your support. 

This website is also affiliated with Refuge Medical and Refuge TrainingPurchases made through links to Refuge on this website help fund this website. Thank You for your support. 

Additional affiliations may be added in the future. 

Disclosure: The owner/editor of this website is not a financial, legal, or medical professional. All information, opinion, analysis, tips, and advice presented is meant only as "food for thought" and a starting point for your further investigation. It is the reader's responsibility to verify everything presented and to carefully consider its suitability for your life and particular circumstances.

Sunday, July 23, 2023

Announcement: Refuge Medical Affiliation

By Tim Gamble 

Dystopian Survival (and TimGamble.com) is now an affiliate of Refuge Medical and Refuge Training. Refuge Medical is a family-owned business based out of Oklahoma, which designs and manufactures high quality, American made, first aid kits and supplies for military, law enforcement, EMS, firefighters, and civilians. The kits are made in America and guaranteed for life. A 10% Discount Code will automatically be applied at checkout when you visit their website using links from my websites.




Debt is slavery. Don't be a slave.

By Tim Gamble 
"The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender." -- Proverbs 22:7 (NKJV)
Looking to survive dystopia? Here is an important tip: Get out of debt as quickly as possible. Stress over debt is distracting, hinders good decision making, damages personal relationships (financial problems are #1 cause of divorce), ties you to a job, limits your options, raises blood pressure and stress hormone levels (which in turn raises blood sugar), and is otherwise very harmful to your physical and mental health.  

Here's some bad news: Despite what some folks seem to think, any future economic or political collapse will likely open the door to more aggressive collection tactics and even debtor's prisons, not to a clean slate. It will take total collapse of civilization, including a massive die-off, for most debts to just go away. Anything less will just remove government protection of debtors.

Here's the good news: You can get out of debt. I've done it, and many others have, too. It does take effort and sacrifice, but it can be done. For some ideas on dealing with your current debt, and avoiding future debt, see my 2019 article Financial Preparedness: Back to the Basics. This article includes a couple of debt-busting ideas, plus a host of other sound financial advice. 

*** You can find Tim Gamble on social media! Follow at Gab (@TimGamble), Twitter (@TimGambleSpeaks), and TruthSocial (@TimGambleSpeaks)
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Saturday, July 22, 2023

7th Day Sabbath (aka Shabbat) Info...

By Tim Gamble 

Note: The majority of my articles have nothing to do with religion, but I do occasionally post "religious" content. I know some folks don't like any religious content whatsoever. If this is you, simply skip the religious articles. It is that simple. 🙂

I'm a little late with it this week, but I've decided to start posting on Friday evenings some material related to the 7th Day Sabbath (aka Shabbat), which is sundown Friday through sundown Saturday. 

Suggested Bible Readings:

Deuteronomy 1:1 - 3:22
Isaiah 1:1 - 27
Matthew 24:1 - 22

Two articles of interest:

R-17 Dump "Woke" Churches! (on TimGamble.com)


Friday, July 21, 2023

Ireland: Government Demands Farmers Kill 200,000 Cattle For "Climate Change"

By Tim Gamble 

Here we they go again. This time it is Ireland that is telling its farmers to kill hundreds of thousands of cattle to meet insane "climate change" goals. They have being talking about this for some time, with initial estimates that Ireland may have to kill up to 1.3 million cattle by 2030 to meet climate change goals imposed on it by the EU. This sparked outrage from farmers and many in the public, and it now looks like the government is demanding only 200,000 dead cows over the next three years (more could be demanded later, of course). 

But this article isn't really about Irish cows. The real purpose if this article is to remind everyone of the already fragile agricultural system, and the additional pressures being intentional applied to it by the Elites, using climate hysteria and wokeism as their excuse. This is at least part of the reason for the extremely high (20%+) food inflation over the last few years, and the gaps still remaining on grocery stores shelves over three years after the lockdown madness

At some point the system is going to shatter completely, resulting in actual food scarcity and famine in Western nations, including here in the USA. I do firmly believe this is intentional, and is part of their population reduction plans. The question is, What are you doing to prepare? Stockpiling food is a start, but it will only go so far. What then for you and your family? You need to figure that out, now. 

A few articles of interest to help you prepare: 

*** You can find Tim Gamble on social media! Follow at Gab (@TimGamble), Twitter (@TimGambleSpeaks), and TruthSocial (@TimGambleSpeaks)
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Thursday, July 20, 2023

ALERT: Gas-Powered Portable Generators To Be Banned

By Tim Gamble 

First, they wanted your gas stoves. Now, they want your gas-powered portable generators. 

Here is a snippet from a Washington Free Beacon article exposing this newly-proposed ban by the Biden administration: "Just months after a Biden-appointed regulator teased a ban on gas stoves, the administration is working to enact a rule that would prohibit the manufacturing of nearly all portable gas generators on the U.S. market." (Full article on the WFB website.)

Are you a contractor that uses portable gas generators on the job? A disaster recovery organization needing to operate in grid-down situations? A prepper wanting an emergency power source at home or your bug-out location? Well, basically you'll be screwed by this one. 

Folks, we don't know exactly when, or if, this ban will go into effect. But we do know how desperate this administration, and the entire Left, are to institute the so-called "green" economy. If you are considering getting a portable gas-powered generator, you might want to get it sooner rather than later. 

(Click here for portable gas powered generators on Amazon. Dystopian Survival is an Amazon affiliate, so purchases made through this link help support this website at no extra cost to you. Thank you.)

*** You can find Tim Gamble on social media! Follow at Gab (@TimGamble), Twitter (@TimGambleSpeaks), and TruthSocial (@TimGambleSpeaks)
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Tuesday, July 18, 2023

My "Boots on the Ground" Report from Western NC

By Tim Gamble 

I occasionally post my personal "Boots on the Ground" report (hat tip to SouthernPrepper1) of what I am seeing and experiencing in my area (small town in western North Carolina). Compare this with what you are hearing from other parts of the country, and with what you are experiencing in your area. Look for and react to trends, not isolated incidences.

Pharmacy Out Of Blood Pressure Medication 

I went to the pharmacy Monday to get my Mother's blood pressure medication refilled, only to be told they were out of it and didn't know when they would get more in stock. Luckily we were able to work with the pharmacy and her doctor to get an alternative. My conversation with the pharmacist revealed that this is becoming more common, as our nation's supply of even basic medications is dwindling fast. Despite our experiences over the last 3+ years, most of our medications still come from overseas. We haven't learned anything... 

Gaps in Store Shelves Have Returned

The gaps in store shelves had largely disappeared in recent months, but have now noticeably returned in local grocery stores and at a nearby Walmart. It is the usual suspects - canned meats, mac & cheese and other boxed pastas. the health & beauty aisles, and the candy and snack aisles. But the gaps have also started appearing among the canned fruits, salad dressings and other condiments, olive oil, white vinegar, and even fresh produce. 

Rising Prices

Inflation may have eased off a bit, but it is still around, at least here in WNC. A loaf of store-brand whole wheat bread is now $2.57. It was $2.27 just one month ago, and $1.84 just the month before that. A 40% increase in only two months! 

The bottled water I get to keep and drink in my vehicle is now $1.27 each, up from just $1.00 earlier this year. 

I've also noticed that the hamburger meat, hamburger buns, mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, salad dressings, eye drops, and insect sprays have all creeped higher in price in recent weeks. 

Eggs, on the other hand, remain in the $1.78 - $1.98 range for a dozen white store-brand eggs.

*** You can find Tim Gamble on social media! Follow at Gab (@TimGamble), Twitter (@TimGambleSpeaks), and TruthSocial (@TimGambleSpeaks)
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Sunday, July 16, 2023

15 Quick Tips for Mental Health

By Tim Gamble 

1)  Mental health is very important in a crisis. The ability to not panic, stay focused and think clearly is crucial.

2)  Mental attitude plays an enormous role in overcoming adversity, so developing a good mental attitude now is a major part of prepping.

3)  Developing a healthy spirituality is key to good mental health. I recommend daily prayer and Scripture reading.

4)  My relationship with God gives me comfort, encouragement, strength, and purpose during times of stress. It helps keep me focused on important priorities in my life. 

5)  Deal now with any addictions you may have - drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gambling, TV, pornography, etc. - before any crisis. (Need help? See the article Getting Help!)

6)  Build positive relationships with your spouse, family, friends, neighbors... In some cases this may mean putting aside ego and forgiving past problems. "Be the bigger man" as the saying goes.

7)  Be a part of your community. Join a local church or synagogue. Meet your neighbors. Participate. Volunteer.

8)  Relax. Laugh. Enjoy life. Don’t dwell on the negatives. Be hopeful.

9)  Don't be afraid of "weeding out" toxic people from your life. Try to help those if you can, but remember you cannot help those who don't really want to be helped.

10)  Reduce stress by taking up a fun hobby or two unrelated to politics, prepping and survivalism.

Personal Note:  My non-prepping interests include studying history, fishing, hiking & trail running, crossword & logic puzzles, and Asian food, music, & culture... 

11)  Physical health has a huge impact on mental and emotional health. Work on all aspects of your health and fitness.

12)  Get enough sleep (for adults, that is at least 7 hours a night on a consistent basis). Lack of sleep wrecks havoc on our mental and physical health.

Note:  Sleep is often overlooked in regards to our physical and mental health. Being constantly sleep deprived is really bad, yet our 24/7 modern culture pushes people to brag about how little sleep they can "get by on." Getting by is NOT optimal for physical or mental health. 

13)  "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." (Proverbs 23:7)  We are our thoughts, so be mindful what you think.

14)  Get out of debt. Stress over debt is distracting, damages personal relationships (financial problems are #1 cause of divorce), limits your options, raises blood pressure and stress hormone levels (which in turn raises blood sugar), and is otherwise very harmful to your physical and mental health. 

15)  Panicking? Having an anxiety attack? Try the Navy SEAL Box Breathing technique (link to short article). 

*** You can find Tim Gamble on social media! Follow at Gab (@TimGamble), Twitter (@TimGambleSpeaks), and TruthSocial (@TimGambleSpeaks)

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Monday, July 10, 2023

Our Dystopian World and the Bill of Rights

By Tim Gamble 

Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): Know your Rights, given to us from God and guaranteed in the Bill of Rights to our US Constitution. Know that these cannot be legitimately taken away from us by our Government, by the UN, by treaty, or even by a majority vote of our fellow Americans. 


In our Dystopian World, people exist for the State, at least according to the Elites who control the State. Notice the Elite's attitude towards children - children belong to the State, not to the parents. From Hillary Clinton's "It Takes a Village" to Joe Biden's recent remarks, the role of parents is diminished, while the role of the State and their approved "experts" is considered supreme. 

Oh, they are usually not so blunt about it, typically using nice sounding phrases like "the common good," "the collective good," and "the greater good." (But who defines "good" and is it actually good for all, or just good for those who benefit from it?). 

America, which just celebrated a birthday last week, was founded on the notion of "Individual Liberty" - that people exist for themselves and for their God. Not for other people. Not for the State. And certainly not for the Elites. Coming off this birthday, and considering our continuing march into Dystopia, I think now is a great time to review our individual Rights, not given to us by the State, but by our Creator. A great list of these Rights, though not a complete list, is found in the Bill of Rights, which I present below. Read it for yourself: 

The First 10 Amendments to the
Constitution as Ratified by the States

December 15, 1791

Preamble

Congress OF THE United States
begun and held at the City of New York, on Wednesday
the Fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine.

THE Conventions of a number of the States having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best insure the beneficent ends of its institution

RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz.:

ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.

Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Amendment VII
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.


*** You can find Tim Gamble on social media! Follow at Gab (@TimGamble), Twitter (@TimGambleSpeaks), and TruthSocial (@TimGambleSpeaks)
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AD:  Proverbs 22:3 T-Shirt - "A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences." - Available in men's, women's, and youth sizes, and in multiple colors. 

Friday, July 7, 2023

Free Medical and First Aid Manuals

By Tim Gamble 

1) There are 20 US Military Medical and First Aid Manuals available for FREE download (and no email required) in .pdf format on the Federation of American Scientists website. Just click the link above to go to the webpage for those manuals, and download the ones you want or might need. Or just download all of them, since they are free.

2) Here are a couple of incredibly useful medical handbooks, both of which are available on the Internet Archive: A) Where There Is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Handbook, and B) Where There Is No Dentist. Both are available for free download in multiple formats, including .pdf and Kindle.

3) Another useful and free resource is by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) is Basic Physical Health with Limited Resources (link opens a .pdf). Maintaining good health before, during, and after a SHTF event is extremely important. This book gives information covering Disease Prevention, Cleanliness and Sanitation, Family Food Production, and Basic Family Medical Care, even when resources are limited because of poverty, war, or natural disasters. 

*** You can find Tim Gamble on social media! Follow at Gab (@TimGamble), Twitter (@TimGambleSpeaks), and TruthSocial (@TimGambleSpeaks)
______________________

AD:  Proverbs 22:3 T-Shirt - "A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences." - Available in men's, women's, and youth sizes, and in multiple colors. 


Thursday, July 6, 2023

[Community] Follow-Up To Previous Article

By Tim Gamble 


In my previous article, I talked about using T-shirts with certain slogans or imagery to spark conversations with people who might turn out to be of a like-mind. After all, meeting like-minded people is the first step in building community, and often the hardest step. Please take a few moments to read that article if you haven't yet.

I want to make something clear. I am NOT saying that just because someone makes a favorable comment on your prepper t-shirt that they will automatically make a fine addition to your prepper group. And I am certainly not telling you to reveal all your prepper plans and secrets in that first conversation. No! Don't do that. 

I am suggesting that it is a way to spark an initial conversation with a potentially like-minded person.

Getting to know someone takes many conversations over time. But it always starts with an initial conversation. You must then use your best judgment to decide if you want to have more conversations with that person, or not. Then, again using your best judgement, you decide what, if any, relationship you want to build with that person. It is a process. A process that starts with an initial conversation. 

If you are afraid of that initial conversation, for whatever reasons, you will never meet like-minded people. If you want community, you have to be willing to open up and even to trust others at some point. Of course, be smart about who and when you open up. 

Here is the bottom line: You MUST choose between two risky options: 1) take the risk to trust others (but be smart about it) and build community, or 2) take the risk of forever being the "lone wolf" (and that is a risk because we do/will need others at some point). 

I've written a number of articles on community. Here is one in particular that may be of interest: Building Community? Warning Signs of People to Avoid

*** You can find Tim Gamble on social media! Follow at Gab (@TimGamble), Twitter (@TimGambleSpeaks), and TruthSocial (@TimGambleSpeaks)
______________________

AD:  Proverbs 22:3 T-Shirt - "A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences." - Available in men's, women's, and youth sizes, and in multiple colors.