Preparedness Notes for Saturday – November 18, 2017

On this day in 1978, Peoples Temple founder Jim Jones led hundreds of his followers in a mass murder-suicide at their agricultural commune in a remote part of the South American nation of Guyana. This incredibly tragic occurrence introduce the term “…drink the Kool-Aid” into our parlance, since poison-laced punch was the vehicle behind most of the deaths. This serves as a stark warning and reminder to those in the prepping/survivalist community who would join with like-minded friends under the leadership of a charismatic leader. Always know who you are following!




A Stitch in Time- Part 2, by a Florida Mom

Recycle and Redesign! Fabric With the cost of fabric today, few women continue to sew clothing. Sewing has become more of a craft hobby. With this cost in mind, it pays to look for other options for fabric. Yard sales, consignment shops, and thrift stores provide an additional source, either fabric pieces or larger size clothing in good condition. If you shop at a fabric store, make sure you look for sales and use coupons. Repaired or Restyled Man’s Button Front Shirt A man’s button front shirt can be recycled by adding a new collar and cuffs from similar or …




The Editors’ Preps for the Week

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. Steadily, we work on meeting our prepping goals. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities. They also often share their planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, property improvements, 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 the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready! …




The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL”. Our media has no shame. It would appear that Paramount Pictures is releasing what may be the fiction of the year as a documentary on Waco. #LeavePublicSchool There are a number of stories where young female teachers are seducing underage boys. I recognize that in high school, a young man’s hormones are raging and while I believe it is morally reprehensible, I understand why they might engage in this behavior. What I …







Preparedness Notes for Friday – November 17, 2017

On this day in 1777, the Articles of Confederation were submitted to the states for ratification. They differed from the Constitution in that they emphasized the primacy of the states. This brings to mind the dangers of convening a Constitutional Convention, because the last time this happened the Articles of Confederation were thrown out and totally replaced by the Constitution. Do you honestly believe that our politicians today could craft a document that so thoroughly protects the rights of the individual as they did then? o o o SurvivalRealty.com is giving away an autographed copy of Survivors by James Wesley, …




A Stitch in Time- Part 1, by a Florida Mom

On a practical note, are you including a basic sewing repair kit in your preparations? Whether you’re aiming towards self-sufficiency or a large scale disaster, there are some basic tools that you need to keep on hand. I’m talking about more than a few pre-threaded needles, a button, and two safety pins! I keep a basic sewing repair kit with the above items in my emergency bag, but my supplies at home provide a multi-purpose repair kit, as well as supplying what will be needed to make and repair clothing and pack items. Are you ready to repair, reuse, recycle, …




Letter: EMP Proofing a 1988 F250 Diesel

JWR, In the book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” a device for $20 is mentioned. Where can I get it? – H.P. JWR’s Comment: Go to your local Ford dealership’s parts department. Ask them for a spare “glow plug controller” for your truck (model and year.). If they have one on hand, ask them to see it. If they ask an exorbitant price, then look for the same part at you local car and truck wrecking yard.




Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on investing in tax lien properties. (See the Tangibles Investing section, near the end of this column.) Precious Metals: First up, Two-Thirds Of The Top Primary Silver Miners Suffered Production Declines In 2017 – SRSrocco Report o  o  o Metals Focus: PV, Auto Demand For Silver …







Preparedness Notes for Thursday – November 16, 2017

November 16th is the birthday of Michael D. Echanis (born 1950, died September 1978), a former United States Army Special Forces and 75th Ranger Battalion enlisted man. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star with “V” device as a LRRP in the Vietnam War. He was born and raised in eastern Oregon. Echanis was killed while working for the CIA in Nicaragua in 1978 in a plane crash along with his colleague Charles Sanders and members of the Nicaraguan armed forces. There was conjecture that the plane was destroyed in flight by a saboteur’s bomb. JWR’s novel Survivors …




Top Six Common Questions Concerning An EMP, by Old Bobbert

Maybe you, like many, have questions about an EMP. As a friendly, and hopefully a pleasing feature, this article is being edited as it is being typed so as to be read as though it were a friendly two-person, social conversation. The Sit-Rep Situation That Initiated Research The sit-rep situation would necessarily be two good friends talking about a recent article concerned about a potential EMP situation caused by a strong ego-driven leader of a small Asian nation with an attitude and an ego to match. We will call our two friends Bob and Ray. Actually Bob (Old Bobbert ), …







The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL”. Things are happening fast on the African continent. It will be interesting to see who the dictator of the week will be in Zimbabwe. Tourniquets Reader G.P. sent in this aptly named article: You Have the Rest of Your Life to Get a Tourniquet. The difference between life and death can be just seconds when you have a major arterial bleed. You never know when you will end up with one of …