Month: July 2020

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“The Noble Lord advocates Union, what doth such a union mean? When the Smaller unites with the greater, what happens? The greater absorbs and engulfs the lesser, it is ever thus and so will be! There are ten times as many English as Scots. Think you then, when the ten becomes eleven, the eleventh will partner the ten? Or, be swallowed up by the ten? Is this what my Lord of Stair wants? An end to Scotland? The most ancient nation in Christendom, a kingdom when England was but a medley of warring tribes! Scotland, from whence Christianity spread to …


Preparedness Notes for Monday — July 27, 2020

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The mainstream media hoopla over the “second wave” of COVID-19 is getting tiresome. Yes, hospital occupancy is of concern, but the number of “confirmed cases” is more of a function of a more widespread testing infrastructure than it is of actual infections, per capita. I found some recent charts that are instructive. They show that the number of hospital beds in use is back up to where it was in April. But the number of deaths relative to the number of cases (i.e. the Case Fatality Rate) is down. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that this bug has mutated …


Taurus G3 Pistol, by Pat Cascio

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I’ve been a fan of Taurus firearms for a lot of years. This wasn’t always the case, however, Taurus has come a long way in improving their quality. Back in Chicago, when I was the Investigation Manager for a huge detective agency, with offices all over the USA, I also was their armorer, and most of the handguns issued to security officers, were made by Taurus. I had my hands full caring for those guns, and I kept a good supply of parts on-hand, for making repairs. Today, that isn’t the case, Taurus manufactures most of their handguns in Brazil, …


Recipe of the Week: Peach Ice-Cream

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The following Peach Ice-Cream 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 cup fresh peach-pulp 1/2 cup boiling water 1/2 cup sugar 2 cups cream Directions Make a syrup by boiling the sugar and water together …


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 examine the recent run-up in gold, silver, and platinum prices. (See the Precious Metals section.) Precious Metals: First up, in U.S. Dollar terms, spot gold and gold futures just hit a 7-year high. And in Indian Rupee terms, gold futures hit at an all-time high. And who knows how gold is …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“If masks work, then used ones are all potentially HAZMAT. Where are the biohazard disposal bags? We’re just tossing virus-contaminated masks and gloves in the trash or on the ground? If they’re not HAZMAT, then you’re admitting they don’t work. Over 200 BILLION masks are being trashed every month. The ecosystem is being destroyed by garbage that didn’t do anything when in use anyway. This alone is sufficient reason to make wearing masks illegal. Remember when you complained about plastic straws? Apparently, it’s A-OK to contaminate the environment now that you want an item, rather than children wanting an item.” …


Preparedness Notes for Sunday — July 26, 2020

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On July 26th, 1931, a swarm of grasshoppers descended on crops throughout the American heartland, devastating millions of acres. Already in the midst of a bad drought, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota suffered tremendously. The swarms was said to be so thick that it blocked out the sun and one could shovel the grasshoppers with a scoop. While America has not seen infestations on such a scale since then, North Africa and parts of the Middle East continue to experience them. — Please pray for the folks in Texas who are in the path of Hurricane Hanna. .. SurvivalBlog Writing …


Vehicle Preparation – Part 2, by Traveling Mechanic

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(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) You should look and feel along the total length of all hoses. Any unusually soft or hard areas are of concern. Any bulge or area worn more than half of the hose thickness is a sign of imminent failure and needs replacement as soon as possible. There are several things that will cause your vehicle motor to run hotter than expected. The typical cause is that the flow of air through the radiator may be partially blocked. A no-cost or low-cost solution is to take your garden hose and blow water from …



The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — July 25, 2020

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On this day in 1897, Jack London sailed for the Klondike. While in the Klondike, London began submitting stories to magazines. In 1900, his first collection of stories, The Son of the Wolf, was published. Three years later, his story The Call of the Wild made him famous around the country. London continued to write stories of adventure amid the harsh natural elements. During his 17-year career, he wrote 50 fiction and nonfiction books. He settled in northern California about 1911, having already written most of his best work. London, a heavy drinker, died in 1916. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest …


Vehicle Preparation – Part 1, by Traveling Mechanic

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Like what seems to be most of SurvivalBlog readers, I am stuck near a city by the need to work. I have an exit plan (a.k.a. Bug-Out plan) that we are following. I decided to share some aspects of our actions. If you do the suggested vehicle maintenance and repair work then this will assist you to avoid being broken down along the road during your Bug Out exit. These checks and corrections will also benefit by eliminating typical defects that arise in normal use. The beginning part of each check is an inspection of your Bug-Out Vehicle (BOV). I …


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. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. Note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen. And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom. Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request: For we are sold, I …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — July 24, 2020

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The late Jerry Ahern passed away on this day, July 24th, in 2012. His survivalist novels created an entire genre. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 89 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three day …