Month: May 2020

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 Earth’s weakening magnetic field. Suicide Deaths Exceed Coronavirus Fatalities? Over at Lew Rockwell’s site: California Doctors Say Suicide Deaths Exceed Coronavirus Fatalities Aussie Collegian Expelled for Criticizing China A video …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“In a civilized and cultivated country wild animals only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen. The excellent people who protest against all hunting, and consider sportsmen as enemies of wild life, are ignorant of the fact that in reality the genuine sportsman is by all odds the most important factor in keeping the larger and more valuable wild creatures from total extermination.” – Theodore Roosevelt


Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — May 27, 2020

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On May 27, 1861, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney of Maryland issued Ex parte Merryman, challenging the authority of President Abraham Lincoln and the U.S. military to suspend the writ of habeas corpus in Maryland. On May 27, 1813, former President Thomas Jefferson wrote former President John Adams about the loss of their mutual friend, Dr. Benjamin Rush. Reflecting upon the loss, Jefferson wrote, “We too must go; and that ere long. I believe we are under half a dozen at present; I mean the signers of the Declaration.” Dr. Rush was instrumental in the reconciliation of Jefferson and Adams …


The Semi-Prepper – Part 2, by Francis

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(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) In addition I stress myself at the range by exercising when I get there (running, pushups, jumping jacks.)  The idea is to degrade my performance by tiring and winding myself, which will show me how I will shoot under stress. Since I’m now in my 70’s, I feel the best home defense weapon is a rifle. Semiautomatic pistols are great but a rifle with its’ longer sight radius leads me to be more accurate. Also as I get older I am concerned about the complexity of the “manual of arms” for the …


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–often with a tie-in to disaster preparedness, and links to “how to” self-sufficiency videos. There are also links to sources for both storage food and storage containers. You will also note an emphasis on history books and historical movies. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This week the focus is on R&R brand Kydex holsters. (See the Gear & Grub section.) Books: A fascinating personal history, …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — May 26, 2020

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May 26, 2020 is the 30th wedding anniversary of Don and Patrice Lewis. Patrice is Editrix of the excellent Rural Revolution blog. Pictured is their house in North Idaho, which is presently for sale. (They are now “empty nesters”, so they plan to move to a smaller house.) The house is situated on 20 acres of farm ground on a defendable plateau, near Heyburn State Park. — May 26th is also the birthday of Randall Hank Williams (Hank Williams, Jr.) He was born 1949. When not touring, he lives Somewhere in Montana, so he qualifies as a Redoubter. He reportedly …


The Semi-Prepper – Part 1, by Francis

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I’m a semi-prepper. I’d like to give you my background and where we are today.  I’ll discuss water, food, firearms, family, and other issues. We came to the United States when I was 6-1/2 years old in 1952. We came from Great Britain, but we’re ethnically Southern Irish. My mother was bombed out of her apartment in London and my father was with the RAF in WWII. Both of them made the distinction between the German people and the Nazis. My father said more than once that with different leaders, Great Britain and the United States could have easily been …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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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 American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on Wyoming. Idaho Over at the Good Simple Living family’s vlog: Our DIY Tiny Home Build Is COMING TOGETHER!  JWR’s Comment:  I highly recommend subscribing to their vlog and clicking the “Bell” icon.  These folks are truly living the life, off-grid, debt-free on …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — May 25, 2020

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Today marks Memorial Day, 2020. Never forget the lives that have been lost, in the defense of our nation. — On May 25th, 1787, The Constitutional Convention convened in Philadelphia with George Washington presiding. The task of the peaceful overthrow of the new American government as it had been defined by the Article of Confederation eventually led to the United States Constitution that is so abused today. — Reader Matt X. wrote with this sad news: Dave Canterbury’s house burned down! Dave Canterbury runs a wilderness school that teaches bushcraft called the Pathfinder School, located in the Midwest. On May …


CRKT Helical, by Pat Cascio

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If you’ve been around knives for any length of time, you know the name Ken Onion. He is one of the best custom knife makers of all time, and he was the youngest knife maker to be inducted in the Hall of Fame for knife makers. I’ve never met Ken, but we had several conversations some years back, when I was doing an article on one of his collaborations with a major knife company.  Ken lives in Hawaii – and I used to – and he is an absolute wild man to talk to on the phone. He is also …


Recipe of the Week: Potatoes Persillade (Parsley)

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The following recipe is from The New Butterick Cook Book, by Flora Rose, co-head of the School of Home Economics at Cornell University. It was published in 1924. A professional scan of that 724-page out-of-copyright book will be one of the bonus items in the next edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick. This 15th Anniversary Edition USB stick should be available for sale in the third week of January, 2021. Ingredients 1 dozen small new potatoes or 6 medium-sized old potatoes Butter or butter substitute Juice of one-half lemon 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley Directions These are …


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. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the imminent return of Necco candy wafers. (See the Tangibles Investing section.) Precious Metals: Alasdair Macleod: The Path To Monetary Collapse o  o  o Another great video by Mike Maloney: This Is The End: How & When Deflation Turns To Hyperinflation Economy & Finance: H.L. mentioned this piece at Zero …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Like all predatory or parasitic institutions, the state’s first instinct is that of self-preservation. All its enterprises are directed first towards preserving its own life, and, second, towards increasing its own power and enlarging the scope of its own activity. For the sake of this it will, and regularly does, commit any crime which circumstances make expedient.” – Albert Jay Nock