The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“We must not forget that when radium was discovered no one knew that it would prove useful in hospitals. The work was one of pure science. And this is a proof that scientific work must not be considered from the point of view of the direct usefulness of it. It must be done for itself, for the beauty of science, and then there is always the chance that a scientific discovery may become like the radium a benefit for mankind.” – Marie Curie




Preparedness Notes for Monday – January 21, 2019

Good news!  The greatly-expanded SurvivalBlog 2005-2018 Archive Waterproof USB stick is now available for ordering. Since there is so much more bonus material in this year’s edition, we had to switch to offering a 16 GB stick!  If sales made last year are any gauge, we can expect the limited production run of this year’s archive to sell out in just a couple of months.  Order yours today. — As a former Army SIGINT officer, this article caught my attention: President Trump pays tribute to Americans killed in Syrian suicide bombing as their bodies arrive back in US.  I really …




Springfield Armory Saint Edge AR 5.56mm Pistol, by Pat Cascio

Several weeks ago, we introduced our readers to the Springfield Armory Saint AR 5.56mm rifle. Today we’re taking a close look at the newest sibling, the Saint “Edge” AR pistol, and it is quite a firearm.  Note: This is not to be confused with Springfield’s standard Saint AR pistol, which I will be reviewing in a couple of weeks. According to the Springfield Armory web site, the Edge AR pistol combines the most popular features of their premium Saint Edge AR rifle, with compact shootability in an AR pistol platform. This compact AR pistol, is everything Springfield claims it to …




Recipe of the Week: Homemade Pasta Sauce

Reader “Sis in Montana” kindly sent us one of her family’s favorite recipes: Mom’s Quick Homemade Pasta Sauce Ingredients: 5 – 8 oz. Cans of Tomato Sauce 1-1/2 tsp. Dried Parsley 1-1/2 tsp. Dried Oregano 1 tsp. Dried Basil 1 TBSP. Garlic Powder 2 tsp. Onion Powder 1 Pint (or 1 pound) Browned Hamburger Directions: Combine all ingredients, mix thoroughly, and simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. This can simmer while you are preparing the pasta of your choice. Notes: This recipe can be made with storage foods, including canned browned hamburger. This goes well with garlic bread. …




Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news 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 SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today’s focus is on out-of-production or not normally for civilian sale night vision and other military electro-optics. (See the Tangibles Investing section.) Precious Metals: Gold Surges On Stock Selloff o o o Jim Rickards — Axis of Gold: Sanctions Weaponize the Dollar   Economy & Finance: At the …







Preparedness Notes for Sunday – January 20, 2019

Today is the birthday of Congressman Richard Henry Lee (1732–1794) o o o SurvivalBlog Writing Contest This has been another entry for Round 80 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 Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s …




Raising Chickens For Meat- Part 2, by Michele Cooper

I’m writing about our experience of raising chickens for meat. Since I didn’t want to kill chickens, we still found a way to raise our own, thanks to a friend who told us about chicken processors. In part 1, we had obtained our chicks and told you about the things they required to grow strong and healthy in their plastic bin in our home. I also told the funny story about how my husband reacted when I shared my plans to move layer chicks into our first home together. (It all worked out really well. Jeff helped me with the …




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”. Zimbabwe is crashing and burning this week…again. Lunar Eclipse Tonight will provide an excellent view of the only full lunar eclipse in 2019. The eclipse is notable because it will be happening during what is called a “super moon”, a time when the moon is closest to the earth, making the moon look larger. Technically, “super moon” is not an official term, but it rolls off the tongue a whole lot easier …







Preparedness Notes for Saturday – January 19, 2019

January 19th is the birthday of the late Carla Emery (born 1939, died October 11, 2005). She is well known in self-sufficency circles as the author of The Encyclopedia of Country Living. (This book re-released in a 40th Anniversary edition.) o o o SurvivalBlog Writing Contest This has been another entry for Round 80 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 Gunsite …




Raising Chickens For Meat- Part 1, by Michele Cooper

This past year, for the first time, I raised chickens for meat. The reason I did not previously is that I do not like killing animals. I can butcher them after they are dead, but I don’t like killing them. Yes, I know, I’m such a wimp. Informed of Chicken Processing Plants I have a good friend, Tami, who works for the local feed store, and in the spring, they have lots of chicks. I mentioned to Tami that I would like to raise my own chickens for meat but cannot kill the chickens (or rabbits, or whatever). She informed …




Editors’ Prepping Progress

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”. Today features a pair of videos that explain how nuclear bombs work, but in language that a person can truly understand. How Nuclear Bombs Work I was looking for a short tutorial on how nuclear bombs work when I ran across this two-hour lecture series on YouTube. People understand how normal explosives work and the fear factor just isn’t there because there isn’t much “unknown”. But with regards to nuclear bombs, that …




The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: but God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit …