Month: February 2019

Preparedness Notes for Thursday – February 28, 2019

February 28th is the birthday of famed Swiss investor and economic pundit Marc Faber (born 1946). — Update, Thursday mid-day: H.R. 8 passed in the House today with just one very minor amendment, clarifying some wording. Please call your Senators, and urge them to stop the Senate version of the bill (S.42)! SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 81 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 …


How NOT to Build a Retreat, by The Jewish Prepper, Pt. 1

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Introductory Note: Please forgive the length of this essay, which will be posted in four parts. My project took me 10 years, so I have a lot to include. As a public service to those of you who are considering building a retreat for your family, I humbly offer a few of the lessons I’ve learned through the blood, sweat and tears I spilled to build a 480 square foot cottage in the woods. Prior to this project, I had no real construction experience, and no clue what to expect. The effort wiped out my savings, caused tremendous stress, and …


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 “JWR”.  Today, we focus on the lateR. Lee Ermey.  May he rest in peace. R. Lee Ermey Snubbed in Oscar Memoriam Montage Marine Corps veteran and beloved character actor R. Lee Ermey was missing from the “In Memoriam” segment of the 2019 Academy Awards.  They may have overlooked Gunny Ermey, but we haven’t! PayPal CEO Admits Partnership with SPLC to Blacklist Conservatives This comes as no great surprise: PayPal CEO Admits Partnership with …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Think gently of the erring: Ye know not of the power With which the dark temptation came In some unguarded hour. Ye may not know how earnestly They struggled, or how well, Until the hour of weakness came And sadly thus they fell. Think gently of the erring: Oh! do not thou forget, However darkly stained by sin He is thy brother yet; Heir of the selfsame heritage, Child of the selfsame God, He has but stumbled in the path Thou hast in weakness trod. Speak gently to the erring: For is it not enough That innocence and peace have …


Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – February 27, 2019

Warning: The truncated debate and immediate floor vote on H.R. 8 is expected to be held today!  The parliamentary gymnastics that were employed in the Rules Committee were astounding. To call this bill “ramrodded” by Speaker Pelosi is putting it mildly!  She has cleverly scheduled the committee testimony of Michael Cohen for the same day, to distract attention away from the H.R. 8 debate. The severe limits on amendments and debate on a measure of this gravity are absurd. Please contact your congressmember ASAP and ask them to do everything that they can to stop it, including stalling tactics and …


Making Flour From Mesquite, by Pete Thorsen

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My goal this past year was to make flour from Mesquite pods and I did meet this modest goal. To do this I planned ahead and I was able to purchase an old hand crank meat grinder and a hand crank grain mill. Both were used but appeared to be in excellent shape. The all-metal grain mill looks much like the old-style meat grinder but has two flat plates between which the milling takes place. New hand meat grinders and new grain mills like what I bought are still made and readily available. Many can be found on eBay and …


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 stainless steel zip ties. (See the Gear & Grub section.) Books: The Prepper’s Canning Guide: Affordably Stockpile a Lifesaving Supply of Nutritious, Delicious, Shelf-Stable Foods o  o  o 52 Prepper Projects: A Project a Week to Help You Prepare for the Unpredictable Movies & Television: Something special for Terry Pratchett fans: Going Postal.  (Available on Amazon Prime.) o  o  o I really enjoyed this review: Serenity Retrospective/Review. For any of our readers who have not yet seen …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

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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 Brandon Smith’s analysis of the economy. (See the Economy & Finance section.) Precious Metals: Barrick CEO defends $18 billion hostile Newmont bid as logical tie-up. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.) o o o It’s A Good Time To Be A Palladium …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“GOD, give us men! A time like this demands Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands; Men whom the lust of office does not kill; Men whom the spoils of office can not buy; Men who possess opinions and a will; Men who have honor; men who will not lie; Men who can stand before a demagogue And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking! Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog In public duty, and in private thinking; For while the rabble, with their thumb-worn creeds, Their large professions and their little deeds, Mingle in selfish strife, …


Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – February 26, 2019

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Today  is the birthday of Major-General Orde Charles Wingate (born, 1903, died 24 March 1944), an eccentric British Army officer who organized special military units in Palestine in the 1930s, and in Abyssinia, Sudan, and Burma during World War II. He is most famous for his creation of the Chindits, airborne deep-penetration troops trained to work behind enemy lines in the Far East campaigns against the Japanese during World War II. — Seed for Security–one of our most loyal advertisers–is having a noteworthy sale: They are offering their Colossal Security Pack at 15% off. This pack has a total of …


JWR’s View: Storage Space Planning for Your Stuff

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As a survivalist since age 14–and now 58–I’ve reached the stage of life where I’ve accumulated a deep larder and a lot of stuff. Just writing can’t help but remind me of the classic George Carlin stand-up comedy routine on “A Place For Your Stuff.” (Be forewarned of Carlin’s foul language.) But seriously, every well-prepared family has mountains of stuff. Storage space planning presents three major challenges: 1.) Where to fit it all. 2.) How to keep it safe from deterioration. 3.) Keeping it organized, so you can quickly find, retrieve, and replenish it. I will attempt to address all three …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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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 American Redoubt jobs. Region-Wide (American Redoubt Jobs): Are your looking for work to facilitate a move to The American Redoubt? Reader H.L. suggested these three web sites: RanchWORK Indeed: Farm Caretaker Jobs CaretakerJobs.com o o o SPLC attacks the American Redoubt Again! o o o El Nino is back but it’s late, weak and probably no big …


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 “JWR”.  Today, we focus on the Appalachians. Consider the Appalachians The latest from our friends Patrice and Don Lewis, over at the great Rural Revolution blog: Consider the Appalachians.  Here is a quote from their essay: “Yesterday Don stumbled upon what looked to be an academic paper published in a periodical called “Education and Culture,” Spring 2002. The paper is titled “Culture, Poverty and Education in Appalachian Kentucky.” Seldom have we read anything so …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“There are two kinds of people on earth to-day; Just two kinds of people, no more, I say. Not the sinner and saint, for it’s well understood, The good are half bad, and the bad are half good. Not the rich and the poor, for to rate a man’s wealth, You must first know the state of his conscience and health. Not the humble and proud, for in life’s little span, Who puts on vain airs, is not counted a man. Not the happy and sad, for the swift flying years Bring each man his laughter and each man his …