Preparedness Notes for Saturday — May 9, 2026

On May 9, 1754, the first newspaper cartoon was published in America. It depicted\ divided snake with the words “Join or Die” by Benjamin Franklin. It was published in The Pennsylvania Gazette.

—

May 9, 1916: A wind-blown fire in Ellendale, North Dakota destroyed three blocks of businesses, a church, and 21 homes.

—

Today’s feature article is a guest post from our friend Brandon Smith, the editor of the Alt-Market.us blog, which we highly recommend bookmarking. – JWR

—

We still need entries for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running the contest.  Round 124 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Gold, Debt And The Inevitable Global Housing Market Crash, by Brandon Smith

Editor’s Introductory Note: This article was written by Brandon Smith and originally published at Birch Gold Group and is re-posted with permission.

Maybe the most prominent economic discussion circulating today is the fear that the vast majority of people have been priced out of housing markets for the rest of their lives, regardless of the country they live. Gen Z and even Gen Alpha teens are already planning for a future in which buying a home is impossible. Those that are buying are aiming for cost efficiency and they are buying alone (prioritizing savings and home ownership over marriage).

This is a subject for another article but it represents a reversal in traditional consumer behavior; a sea change that needs to be examined because it reflects greater underlying social and economic struggles.

This struggle is not only happening in the US; all across the western world from Australia to Canada to most of Europe people are facing the worst home price inflation in decades and they’re scrambling to find ways to adapt.Continue reading“Gold, Debt And The Inevitable Global Housing Market Crash, by Brandon Smith”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

I packed several Elk Creek Company orders this week. Our current percussion revolver sale is going quite well. The big-bore percussion revolvers are very popular because .45 Colt and .45 ACP cartridge conversion cylinders are now available from three different U.S. makers. These are legal in even most of the “Blue” Nanny States. Two of the orders that I received this week were paid in pre-1965 silver coins. It you want to pay in Pre-1965 90% silver coinage, you can simply divide the total price (including postage) by 58. For example, with a 58 divisor, that means that a $640 order would be just $11.03 face value in 1964-or-earller U.S. silver dimes, quarters, or half dollars.  (We’d round down to $11.00.) Note that our silver divisor changes frequently, as the silver market fluctuates. But you’ll get more in trade for your silver at Elk Creek Company than you would selling it for cash at a coin shop.

I helped Lily with some hay barn cleaning and pitchforking a trailer load of manure from our west sheep pen.  I spread that in open areas in our woods. I also cut one pickup load of firewood. Most of it was white fir.

Now, Lily’s part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” – Genesis 6:1-8 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Friday — May 8, 2026

On May 8, 1792, British Captain George Vancouver sighted and named Mount Rainier, Washington.

—

Also on May 8, 1792, Congress passed the second portion of the Militia Act, requiring that “…every free able-bodied white male citizen of the respective States, resident therein, who is or shall be of age eighteen years, and under the age of forty-five years be enrolled in the militia.”

—

Today is also the birthday of Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek.

—

The feature article today is a guest post from our friend Jennifer Rader — a name that  should be familiar to SurvivalBlog readers. We recommend her books.

—

We need more entries for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 124 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Our Fall From Modern Medicine, by Jennifer Rader

Editor’s Introductory Note: The following is an excerpt from the book Armageddon Pharmacy: Herbal Medicine When the Drugstore Is Closed. Jennifer Rader is a SurvivalBlog reader and one of our writing contest prize donors. – JWR

John D. Rockefeller, America’s first billionaire, is credited with saying “a pill for every ill.” Prior to his pervasive influence on medicine—prior to closing schools that taught natural medicine, herbs occupied a respected position in American medical practice. However, herbs can’t be patented, and Rockefeller was all about making money. Thus began our transition from herbal medicine to pills, from solving many of our own health problems to slavishly depending on doctors to treat everything for us, no matter how trivial.

The late pandemic (or however you choose to describe COVID-19) awakened many to the hazards of depending too heavily on the American health care system. Some refused to see a doctor or go to the emergency room due to fear of contracting something worse. Some couldn’t go because they couldn’t get in—because there were too many other patients or because the doctor quit. As supply chain issues developed, some couldn’t obtain their maintenance medications. We depend on a robust medical system to care for every need from cradle to grave.Continue reading“Our Fall From Modern Medicine, by Jennifer Rader”

Economics & Investing Media of the Week

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers. Today’s map illustrates the economic importance of our nation’s seaports and maritime waterways. It is noteworthy that Lewiston, Idaho is classified as a port city. (It handles a large volume of grain, log, and wood chip barge traffic.)

The thumbnail below is click-expandable.

 

 

 

(Graphic courtesy of Reddit.)

Economics & Investing Links of Interest

Economics & Investing Media Tips:

Please send your economics and investing links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Thanks!

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“The free market is not a creed or an ideology that political conservatives, libertarians, and Ayn Rand acolytes want Americans to take on faith. The free market is simply a measurement. The free market tells us what people are willing to pay for a given thing at a given moment. That’s all the free market does. The free market is a bathroom scale. We may not like what we see when we step on the bathroom scale, but we can’t pass a law making ourselves weigh 165. Liberals and leftists think we can.” – P.J. O’Rourke

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — May 7, 2026

On May 7, 1697, Stockholm’s medieval royal castle was destroyed by fire. The Codex Gigas (pictured) — the world’s largest extant medieval illuminated manuscript) — survived by being thrown out a window.

—

May 7, 1867: Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel patented dynamite in England. This was the first of three patents he would receive for the explosive.

—

We are running a two-week-long sale in all of our percussion revolvers at Elk Creek Company, with deep discounts. This sale will end on Monday, May 18th, 2026. Please note that there are cartridge conversion cylinders available for many of these guns — particularly the Ruger Old Army revolvers and the Pietta and Uberti brand clones of the Remington Model 1858. This provides a great opportunity to acquire un-papered handguns in many otherwise restrictive “Blue” states.  (Be sure to consult your state and local laws before ordering.)

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three-Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value).
  2. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  3. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.
  4. Heaven’s Harvest is providing one of their Original Heirloom Seed Kits (a $139 value.)
  5. Harvest Guard is providing a 200-Piece Bulk Mix Pack of their Regular and Wide-Mouth Reusable Canning Jar Lids & Gaskets. This is a $161 + shipping value.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is providing a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 124 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Learning From Our Fire Drill, by A.F.

On a January evening earlier this year, I walked around the corner from our kitchen towards the bathroom and smelled smoke. My wife had just returned home from a meeting and I had spent most of the afternoon juicing frozen plums saved from last fall. I ask my wife if there was a wood smoke smell outside when she came in expecting her to confirm that a neighbor either had a fire pit going or that there was a brush pile burning nearby. When she said that she had not noticed smoke while walking into the house, I stepped out to check for myself. Nothing outside smelled of smoke.

I came back in and returned to the short hallway where the whiff had been and smelled smoke again. Asking her to join me to sense if she also smelled smoke, I received confirmation when she agreed that there was a faint smell. In the immediate area there is a HVAC return duct on the ceiling and slightly ahead in the bathroom there is a supply register overhead. My next step was to grab the kitchen step stool and smell for smoke closer to the ceiling (we have nine-foot ceilings). There was no odor near the bathroom supply register but there was around the return grill.Continue reading“Learning From Our Fire Drill, by A.F.”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, more about AI and the anti-AI backlash.

Iran War: Global Fertilizer Shortages Looming

Reader A.T. send this BBC news piece: Billions of meals at risk due to Iran war, says fertiliser boss.

Don’t Trust Clankers: AI Agents Are Dangerously Helpful

From cryptocurrency expert Jameson Lopp: Don’t Trust Clankers: AI Agents Are Dangerously Helpful. Here is an excerpt:

“AI coding agents are designed to complete the assigned task. When one approach fails, they may try another. By default they don’t have a concept of security boundaries – in this case you can see that they don’t distinguish between “try a different API endpoint” and “steal browser cookies to bypass authentication.”

This isn’t about one specific tool – it applies to any AI agent with unrestricted access. If an agent can run commands on your machine, it may be able to access your browser data, SSH keys, cloud credentials, and more.”

Top AI Companies to Work with Pentagon on Secret Data

The statist-leftist Washington Post reports: Top AI companies agree to work with Pentagon on secret data. JWR’s Comment:  AI used for autonomous weapons. What could possibly go wrong?

Resistance: A Populist Backlash is Building Against AI

At MIT Technology Review: Resistance — A populist backlash is building against AI.Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“Taxing is much like plucking a goose. It is the art of getting the greatest number of feathers with the least amount of hissing.” – Republican Presidential candidate Robert Dole, as quoted by The Wall Street Journal, 16 December, 1983.

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — May 6, 2026

On May 6, 1837, US blacksmith John Deere made the first steel plough, in Grand Detour, Illinois.

—
May 6, 1851: Linus Yale Jr. patented the Yale cylinder lock.

—

You may already own a SIEGE Stove or a SIEGE Belt from SIEGE Survival. (One of our loyal advertisers.)  I just heard that they’ve added the excellent American-made Fire-Fast firestarters to their product line. (At the SIEGE website, click on “Ferro Rod Fire Steels”.) You can see one of these being tested after four days of submersion, in a YouTube video. Tom Christianson will soon be reviewing one of the jumbo-size “Trekker” Fire-Fast firestarters from SIEGE Survival.  Every bugout bag should have a quality firestarter! – JWR

—

Today’s feature article is not part of the writing contest, because it is partly self-promotional.

—

We need more entries for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 124 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Get Out: Escaping The Blue Hives – Part 2, by Single Farmer

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

For now, the best thing to do for many is to “Get Out” escaping blue hives and get on productive land. I have been advocating that people move to lightly populated food producing rural areas in conservative states. I live in one and I am trying to increase the number of freedom loving people over here. There is safety in numbers.

I realize how difficult it is to accomplish all of this. Whenever I talk with people who would like to live on a farm, the number one reason I hear is that people cannot afford it. I am currently working on a large article series to help people to survive this new economic paradigm where jobs are disappearing and expenses keep on rising because of inflation. It is not getting better out there for regular hard-working folks. I do wish that I could report positive news, but I know many businessmen around the country who are being suffocated by the high prices for raw materials and demand destruction that occurs as people pull back from spending on finished goods as the costs of everyday mandatory expenses rises.Continue reading“Get Out: Escaping The Blue Hives – Part 2, by Single Farmer”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. This week:  Some good news and bad news, on gun legislation.

—

Some great news: House Appropriations 2027 Funding Bill Ends Suppressor, Short Barrel Rifle Registration. JWR’s Comment:  Be sure to contact both your U.S. congressman and your state’s two U.S. Senators, to insist on their support for this important legislation!  Please phone them and e-mail them!

o  o  o

Freshly Minted ATF Director Robert Cekada and the “New Era of Reform”.

o  o  o

Virginia’s New Gun Laws: What Gun Owners Need to Know in 2026.

o  o  o

Reader Tom H. in Montana sent this: We can’t let RI’s ‘assault weapons’ ban become the US gun seizure blueprint.

o  o  o

Concealed Carry Crime Stats 2026: The Impact of Open Carry on Crime in the U.S..

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”