Preparedness Notes for Thursday – July 12, 2018

On January 12, 1888, the “Schoolchildren’s Blizzard” killed 235 people, many of whom were children on their way home from school, across the Northwest Plains region of the United States. The storm came with no warning and some accounts say that the temperature fell nearly 100 degrees in just 24 hours. There were many instances of teachers keeping or rescuing children who would have been caught in the storm while walking home. o o o SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today features another entry for Round 77 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round …




A Portable Water Distiller- Part 1, by JMD

Water is arguably one of the, if not the, most critical element to survival. Recent history has shown us that clean water is almost always one of the first items to become unavailable after a disaster. A Water Distiller To Handle Salt Water As Well Fresh Water Since I live within a day’s walk of the Atlantic Ocean and occasionally camp near the shore, I wanted to make a water distiller that could handle salt water as well as some of the more contaminated fresh water sources. My requirements were: Portable It should be portable. So that means that it …




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”. The socialist utopia of Venezuela strikes again with public transportation known as Venezuelan kennels. Beware of Geeks Bearing Gifts Most people are smart enough not to plug unknown USB devices into your computer. You never know what can be hiding in the USB plug. Of course, the vast majority of USB powered devices are benign and do exactly what they claim they do, but according to this article sent in by reader …







Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – July 11, 2018

July 11th is the birthday of John Quincy Adams. He was born in 1767 and died in 1848. Not to be confused with his father– John Adams– the younger Adams also served as a diplomat, congressman, and as president. o o o Big news today! Trump has pardoned the Oregon ranchers who sparked the occupation of the wildlife refuge. Ranchers Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son Steven were granted clemency along with a statement that the Obama administration was overzealous in their prosecution. Thanks to DSV and other readers who sent that information in. o o o SurvivalBlog Writing Contest …




How to Survive Your Survivor Obsessed Husband, by Abigail A.

Although I survived Y2K and the Great Economic Collapse of 2008, when my husband became obsessed with prepping and survival techniques, I didn’t know if I would. His words made sense, but already depleted from the day-to-day care of our two children, the new passion unraveled the stabilizing thread in my heart. Intense Fear and Anxiety Over Children’s Future He didn’t understand the unending multifaceted thoughts in a woman’s mind let alone the unfortunate reality: There isn’t a shut off. What will happen to our kids when this happens? How will we survive? Exasperated by news and social media, my …




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 once again on Neccos–those chalky disc candies that are ideal for long term storage and barter. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)   Precious Metals: First up, at Kitco: Gold A Long Term Buy But Expect Lackluster Prices In The Short Term – Analysts o o o …




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 tools made in USA. (See the Gear and Grub section.) Books: Gun Control in Nazi-Occupied France: Tyranny and Resistance o  o  o America’s God and Country: Encyclopedia of Quotations o  o  o A friend here in the Redoubt recommended this fascinating book: Gentlemen’s Blood: A History of Dueling o  o  o Lettering and Modern Calligraphy: A Beginner’s Guide: Learn Hand Lettering and Brush Lettering   Movies: Finally available on Amazon Prime! The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai o  o  …




The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“A soft, easy life is not worth living, if it impairs the fibre of brain and heart and muscle. We must dare to be great; and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage… For us is the life of action, of strenuous performance of duty; let us live in the harness, striving mightily; let us rather run the risk of wearing out than rusting out.” – Theodore Roosevelt




Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – July 10, 2018

July 10th is the birthday of British novelist John Wyndham. (His full name was John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris, but Harris shortened that to just John Wyndham for his pen name.) He we was born in 1903 and died March 11, 1969. Harris was a good friend of fellow novelist Samuel Youd (1922-2012), who wrote under several pen names, including John Christopher. Both men were famous for writing what are often called cosy catastrophies. Several of Wyndham’s novels and short stories have been adapted to film, with varying degrees of success. One of the best of these was a …




The Internet Gulag: Demonetization, Demonization, and Deletion

A wave of Internet censorship is sweeping the globe. This censorship is no longer just the nefarious work of totalitarian nations. Many western nations are experiencing their own brand of censorship that is being promulgated by ostensibly “private” companies. (Although many of these are near-monopoly utilities that could be classified as public accommodations.) The War on Guns Dozens of conservative, pro-gun videobloggers and news outlets have been demonetized by YouTube in the past two years. By flagging these sites as “not family friendly”, viewers must now toggle “Restricted Mode: Off” and even when they do, advertisements are no longer displayed. …




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 mountain goats in The American Redoubt. Region-Wide Removal of Olympic National Park mountain goats could start in late summer; others may eventually be killed o o o Brokers seeing “simple economic recipe for a softening housing market” o o o Hop acreage up in Washington, Idaho and nationwide




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”. Smart radar tech is making the scene again. We’ve covered this before in the early stages of it’s development, but it is now nearly ready for production. Busting the Bugout Myth If you don’t have a destination or a plan, bugging out merely makes you a refugee. This article, sent in by reader T.J., walks through the many dangers that we face in our complacency. We all too often fall into the …