Year: 2018

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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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”. Today focuses mainly on medical drug issues. Why Democrats Would Lose a Civil War Another U.S. civil war is unlikely in the near future, but if it were to come to that, this article explains why a red vs. blue war would result in the blue losing. While the blue holds the ports, the red holds the heartland with the vast majority of resources. Even if the military were to fall on …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“There is … a clever maxim which bears upon what I was saying to you some little while ago, and that is, that unless wicked ideas take root in a naturally depraved mind, human nature in a [[right] and wholesome state, revolts at crime. Still, from an artificial civilization have originated wants, vices, and false tastes which occasionally become so powerful as to stifle within us all good feelings, and ultimately to lead us into guilt and wickedness…” – Alexandre Duma, in The Count of Monte Cristo


Preparedness Notes for Monday – March 12, 2018

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Today is the birthday of science fiction author Harry Harrison, who is best known for his Deathworld trilogy. (He was born in 1920 and died in 2012.) On March 12, 1850, the first U.S. $20 gold piece was issued. The current bullion (melt) value of a $20 gold piece (not even considering any numismatic value) is about $1,185. Lesson learned: Trust gold, not paper.


Smith & Wesson Model 66, by Pat Cascio

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Today, we are looking at the S&W Model 66 stainless steel 2.75-inch barrel handgun on the popular K Frame. With so many requests from SurvivalBlog readers, we are covering this, another good ol’ fashioned revolver. Early Years Carrying a Revolver Truth be told, in my early years as a police officer, private security contractor, and private investigator, I carried a revolver for the simple fact that in Illinois, at least at that time, you were required to only carry a 4-inch barrel revolver when doing private security. As a police officer in various areas of the country, I was pretty …



Economics & Investing For Preppers

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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 greenback cash. Precious Metals: Spot silver took a 0.65% bounce on Friday, up to $16.608. But it is still grossly under-valued vis-a-vis gold.  For the time being, I recommend that you make any new precious metals acquisitions in the form of either silver or platinum, …



Preparedness Notes for Sunday – March 11, 2018

Today is the birthday of author Douglas Adams (born 1952). He is the author of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Also on this day, the Great Blizzard of ’88 struck the northeastern United States (1888). March 11th is the birthday of the late actor Anton Yelchin (born 1989, died June 19, 2016). He is remembered for his portrayal of Kyle Reese in Terminator: Salvation, and as Ensign Pavel Checkov, in the most recent Star Trek movie series. He died in a freak accident wherein his parked Jeep Grand Cherokee unexpectedly rolled forward on an incline, pinning him to a security …


No Man Is An Island, by J.S.

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“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent.” – John Donne Compared to the seasoned veterans of the preparedness camp, I am a rookie. I have no specific training in any field or category that would make me specifically qualified to write an article on preparedness, but that is why this is so important. Majority of Preparedness Individuals Are Not Specialists Odds are the vast majority of TEOTWAWKI preparedness-aware individuals are not specialists in any specific category of emergency or end of societal type skills. Yes, they have a few specific things …


Letter: Post-TEOTWAWKI Refigeration

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Dear SurvivalBlog Readers: Consider the impact on your diet after a major societal disruption if you still had the ability to refrigerate food. Work with me here. Open the door to your refrigerator and figure out which foods you could do without. Then figure out how many bottles, jars, and other containers have labels that say, “Refrigerate after opening.” Could you live without most of them. Sure. Would you prefer not to give them up. Sure. Then consider how in a crisis the ability to save food from one meal to the next would extend the life of your food …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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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”. Today features and interesting article with a monetary breakdown of the west. It is definitely worth a read. Fix NICS – Gun Control in Disguise Please contact your congressional representatives today and insist that they oppose H.R. 4909, which includes the horribly flawed “Fix NICS” bill that targets veterans. For some details, see this brief announcement from Congressman Massie. Firearms – Time and Energy vs Money Reader T.J. sent this video link …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound. Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.   It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday – March 10, 2018

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On March 10, 1910, China officially ended slavery. But unofficially, China now has one of the world’s largest slave populations. These are mostly political prisoners, working in prison factories. Sadly, there is no way of reliably knowing whether or not most of the “Made In China” merchandise that you buy might originate from these prisons. o o o SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today features another entry for Round 75 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 …


Board Games in TEOTWAWKI, by Gridley

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In “Sleeping With the Friendlies, by Heidi C.”, the author mentions some of the problems of group integration and building group cohesion, and the author touches on a point that I would like to expand on– board games. In this article I will discuss how I feel board games have uses in: Finding like-minded people Building group cohesion Maintaining morale in a retreat location or shelter-in-place I will take these points in reverse order. Board Games? Why board games? First, let’s imagine the following scenario. The fall has happened. You’ve reached your retreat location and found with relief that the …


Editors’ Prepping Progress

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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! …