Month: July 2019


Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — July 24, 2019

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The late Jerry Ahern passed away on this day, July 24th, in 2012. His survival-themed novels created an entire genre. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 83  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3,000 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 …


Including Old Books in Your Preps, Part 2, by Marica Bernstein

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(Continued from Part 1.) As I mentioned, there are other categories of books-as-tools. Reference books– dictionaries, encyclopedias, foreign language dictionaries, books of mathematical tables– are among them (and are some of my favorites). With respect to dictionaries and encyclopedias, I recommend ones from various points in time. Word meanings change. For example, in Webster’s Elementary-School Dictionaryiv (1925) the first definition of ‘mend’ is “to free from flaws or defects—as in to mend one’s manners or ways; to correct; as to mend a fault; also, to repair; to put in shape again; as, to mend clothes, shoes.” Note that the emphasis …


JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

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Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. The focus is usually on emergency communications gear, bug out bag gear, books and movies that have any tie-in to disaster preparedness, and links to “how to” self-sufficiency videos. There are also links to sources for both storage food as and food storage containers. You will also note an emphasis on history books and historical movies. This week the focus is on Raspberry Pi hobby microcomputers. (See the Gear & Grub section.) Books: The Volunteer: One Man, an Underground Army, and the Secret …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Intellectual freedom is essential — freedom to obtain and distribute information, freedom for open-minded and unfearing debate and freedom from pressure by officialdom and prejudices. Such freedom of thought is the only guarantee against an infection of people by mass myths, which, in the hands of treacherous hypocrites and demagogues, can be transformed into bloody dictatorship.” – Andrei Sakharov


Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — July 23, 2019

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On July 23rd, 1982, outside Santa Clarita, California, actor Vic Morrow (of Combat! fame) and two children were killed when a helicopter crashed onto them while shooting a scene from Twilight Zone: The Movie. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present first part of a four-part article. This is another entry for Round 83  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3,000 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 …


Including Old Books in Your Preps, Part 1, by Marica Bernstein

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My aim in this essay is to convince you of the worth of building a home library consisting mainly of old books. I will not suggest that you pack a set of Encyclopǣdia Britannicas in your bug-out-bag. I’m addressing those of you who are, or hope to be, hunkered down in your homes when the lights go out. Throughout, I’ll be making the same assumption that JWR makes: “Survival is not just about guns, groceries and gadgets.” To my mind is it also very much about preserving Western Culture– the values, traditions, mores, histories, and even anecdotes and funny pages …


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”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at the demise of the Federal Solar Tax Credit. Hydro-Powered Idaho Retreat – Reduced I just heard that there was a recent $60,000 price reduction on the home on 13 acres …



SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the Redoubt region. Today, we focus on North Idaho vloggers.   (See the Idaho  section.) Idaho Several North Idaho homesteading vloggers recently held this event: Meetup With North Country Off Grid, Essential Mountain Homesteading, Plus many more!! Be sure to check out their vlogs. They include: Good Simple Living And Homesteading Essential …



CRKT Du Hoc, by Pat Cascio

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Wicked! That one word, aptly describes the CRKT Du Hoc fixed blade knife. It it is made by Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT).  Most knives are designed to be used as everyday working tools, and they can double as a weapon for self-defense. However, make no mistake about it, the Du Hoc, designed by Austin McGlaun, in Columbus, Georgia – is purely a combat blade – in my humble opinion. It was designed specifically as a combat fixed blade knife. It is modeled after the Karambit, a curved blade that was meant for combat or self-defense. If you have …


Recipe of the Week: J.J.’s Cornmeal Dry Mix

Reader J.J. kindly sent us this recipe for a multipurpose cornmeal dry baking mix. This was tested as a 9-cup batch  (1 cup equals 5 ounces.) Ingredients 4 cups (18 ounces) finely ground cornmeal 4 cups (18 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour 2/3 cup (4 5/8 ounces) granulated sugar 3 1/2 tablespoons (42 grams) baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons (10 grams) table salt Dry Mix Making Directions Combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large container with a tight-fitting lid (15- to 16-cup capacity), until thoroughly mixed. Seal in an airtight container, label and store at room …


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, we look at investing in silver. (See the Precious Metals section.) Precious Metals (Silver): The recent breakout in the spot price of silver to above $16.28 per Troy ounce probably has some short-selling traders quaking in their boots. The price ratio of silver-to-gold is now running around …