Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – August 08, 2018

August 8th is the birthday of Terry Nation (August 8th, 1930 – March 9th, 1997), who was a Welsh television writer and novelist. Nation wrote two series, Survivors and Blake’s 7, in the 1970s. Survivors was re-made a few years ago. o o o SurvivalBlog Writing Contest This has been another entry for Round 78 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public. A …




The New Urban Fortress- Part 1, by M.H.

Stealth vs. Tactical I am a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, retired Navy O-5, a mechanical engineer (academically), and an IT business consultant. I am considered by my colleagues to be an “idea machine”. I have made a good living based largely on my outside-the-box thinking. While I have too many ideas to viably act on all of them, there are enough good ones that all are usually worth at least consideration. An Idea To Have Readers Find Flaws in My Thinking I have been prepping for a couple of years now and have come upon an idea that …




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 collectible antique hand tools. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)   Precious Metals: First up, this article recommended by a blog reader in Alaska: Silver Threads among the Gold: What the Tea Leaves Seem to Be Telling Us o o o Gold looking for a break …




JWR’s Recommendations of the Week

Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on Tool Storage (See the Gear section.)   Books: The Russia Hoax: The Illicit Scheme to Clear Hillary Clinton and Frame Donald Trump o  o  o Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival o  o  o Liars, Leakers, and Liberals: The Case Against the Anti-Trump Conspiracy   Movies: The Mechanic. (The original, with Charles Bronson. I much prefer it to the recent remake.) Available on DVD, but also available for free streaming to Amazon Prime …










Some Implications of the NRA’s Recommended Full Auto Amnesty

Introductory Note: The following is not intended to be legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney in your own state.  This essay is simply conjecture on possible outcomes of a change in U.S. Treasury Department policy, in response to a recent suggestion by the National Rifle Association (NRA). Your perspective might be substantially different, your situation might not match what I’m suggesting, and “your mileage may vary.” Do not do anything illegal. The window of opportunity that I will describe does not yet exist. So this essay is just some conjectural food for thought. The recent national kerfluffle over so-called “bumpfire” …




SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

Here is SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt. This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. We also mention companies of interest to preppers that are located in the region. The emphasis this week is on startup companies in the American Redoubt.   Idaho Idaho’s startup hub? Turns out it’s Coeur d’Alene o o o 10 Best Tech Startups in Boise o o o Reader Jon C. sent us this: Dozens of goats overtake Boise neighborhood, possibly plotting world domination   Montana Montana Startups to Watch 2018: High-tech and Manufacturing o o o …




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”. Venezuela is back in the news this week again. Explosive-Carrying Drones The Explosive-Carrying Drones in Venezuela Won’t Be the Last JWR’s Comment: I first mentioned the emerging threat of UAVIEDs in SurvivalBlog back in 2006. Frankly, I’m surprised that it took this long for someone to use one against a head of state. Baofeng Radios Reader JMD wrote in to let us know of this upcoming change by the FCC that will …







Preparedness Notes for Monday – August 06, 2018

On August 6th, 1945 at 8:16 a.m. (Japanese time), an American B-29 bomber– the Enola Gay– dropped the world’s first war-time atom bomb over the city of Hiroshima. Approximately 80,000 people were killed as a result of the blast, with another 35,000 injured. At least another 60,000 would be dead by the end of the year from the effects of the fallout. History is always written by the victors, so the reasoning and justification for this will be argued for years to come. But one thing is for sure: this action officially ushered in the nuclear age in war and …




CRKT “Kuk”, by Pat Cascio

There is nothing really new, when it comes to the time-tested Ghurka blade, is there? Well, as a matter of fact, the all-new Columbia River Knife & Tool “Kuk”, designed by Ryan Johnson, puts a new twist on this blade, which is under review today. My Collection of Military-Style Knives and Bayonets I want to say that I was probably about 15 years old, maybe a little older or younger, when I started collecting military-style knives and bayonets. One of my favorite stops was a small Army/Navy Surplus store on the south end of downtown Chicago. Sadly, it is long …







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 the effects of higher interest rates on stock markets. (See the Stocks section and the Economy and Finance section.)   Precious Metals: August’s Gold Market Looks ‘Ready For The Up Cycle’ – Sprott Money o o o VIDEO — Michael DiRienzo of the Silver Institute …




The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I’m pretty busy these days with ‘normal’ stuff, but there’s always that little voice in the back of the head that says ‘Hey…stay frosty, man. Today could be The Day.’ It’s really easy to get lax when there’s electricity, hot water, and a fridge full of food at hand. All of that can change like that (:::snaps fingers:::) But, still, it’s hard to stay focused sometimes. I’ve been cleaning up the ‘extra’ guns and getting them ready for the Deep Sleep. Basically it’s a very detailed cleaning, a generous amount of lubrication, and seal it up in a Pelican case …