Year: 2020

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — April 11, 2020

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April 11th is the birthday of John Milius, who was born in 1944. He both wrote the screenplays and directed the films Dillinger, The Wind and the Lion, Big Wednesday, Conan the Barbarian, Red Dawn, Farewell to the King, and Flight of the Intruder. He also wrote the screenplays of the first two Dirty Harry movies as well as the first draft of the screenplay for Patton (before Francis Ford Coppola turned it into a vaguely anti-war commentary laced with references to reincarnation). Milius is JWR’s favorite Hollywood writer and director, in part because he stands for everything that Hollywood …


The Simplicity that Prepared Us – Part 2, by John S.

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(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) COLD-HEARTED US DIPLOMATS and FRIENDLY FOREIGN ENVOYS It was a shock to me that our own diplomats (some, not all) hate missionaries and Christian humanitarians. I found this out, directly. My sister is a diplomat at the defunct Department of State (DOS). I was aghast that she joined such a liberal, hate filled left wing organization! The lengthy, dangerous lines at US Embassies in Africa was a big reason we returned back to America. People were stabbed in line there in Nairobi, in 2016. There’s no priority for US citizens, because your …


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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“Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom. A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself. When the wicked cometh, then cometh also contempt, and with ignominy reproach. The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook. It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment. A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes. A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — April 10, 2020

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April 10th, 1796 was the birthday of James Jim Bowie (died March 6th, 1836 at the Battle of the Alamo.) — Long-time SurvivalBlog writing contest prize donor Naturally Cozy just announced their new washable hand-made pleated fabric face masks. They have a wire insert to provide a snug fit. And of course they are hand-made here in The American Redoubt. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 88 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 Simplicity that Prepared Us – Part 1, by John S.

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We grew up in the woods of northwestern Montana. Life was tough. We were five kids and shared each others clothes, while growing up. Mom and dad worked a hard, simple routine. We didn’t have ski passes, adornments, and excesses. We had the bare minimum. We got mocked a lot, by the social climbers in school, church and work. Wealthy people stood out in our small Montana village. I didn’t understand the value of hardship growing up, until decades later. As a child, I complained at times, not comprehending the valuable life skills our struggling parents displayed to us, daily. …


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 some unintended consequences for dairy and beef cattle producers — as well as consumers. (See the Commodities section.) Precious Metals: Gold Futures Extend Gains To 8 Year Highs After Pelosi’s Trillion-Dollar Promise o  o  o TDS: ‘gold is looking to solidify north of $1,600/oz’ o  o  o Meanwhile, spot …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“The fact is that the modern implementation of the prison planet has far surpassed even Orwell’s 1984 and the only difference between our society and those fictionalized by Huxley, Orwell and others, is that the advertising techniques used to package the propaganda are a little more sophisticated on the surface. Yet just a quick glance behind the curtain reveals that the age old tactics of manipulation of fear and manufactured consensus are still being used to force humanity into accepting the terms of its own imprisonment and in turn policing others within the prison without bars.”  – Paul Joseph Watson


Preparedness Notes for Thursday — April 9, 2020

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On April 9, 1768, John Hancock refused to allow two British customs agents to go below deck of his ship. This was considered by some to be the first act of physical resistance to British authority in the American colonies. And on April 9, 1869, the Hudson Bay Company ceded its territory to the Commonwealth of Canada. — I just heard that Patrice Lewis of the great Rural Revolution blog just launched a sale of her complete Country Living Series collection of 52 homesteading and practical skills e-booklets for download or on CD. I highly recommend her writings. SurvivalBlog Writing …


Training: Prepper Parallels in Everyday Life, by K.B.

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I am no expert, but I can share. Contemplating what training or experience I have that could be of value to the community at large in a SHTF scenario, and it appears to be a bit of a struggle to decide what is pertinent. We all have our own experience, patterns, and muscle memory from day to day. I suppose that what I share here is as much an example of the importance of the give and take communication, as it is no matter where one is on a spectrum of learning, they can contribute. Truly it is important to …


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 Victory Gardens. Alinco DJ-X11 and The Poor Man’s SIGINT Station Over at American Partisan:  Alinco DJ-X11 and The Poor Man’s SIGINT Station, by Holy Serf New York Nat’l. Guard to …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“We did not vote on the “shelter-in-place” dictum.  We did not vote on the shut down of all “non-essential” businesses. Hysteria leads to a dismissal of the factual. And the factual analysis of this current “Wuhan flu” is that many of the policies enacted here in Montana are irrational and insulting.  Does anyone believe that the “vulnerable”  (such as this mid-seventies old man) are incapable of taking appropriate precautions on their own without the Governor destroying the livelihoods of all our fellow Montanans? Does anyone really expect now that a Governor has assumed the power to decide who is essential …


Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — April 8, 2020

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April 8th is the birthday of the late Ian Smith, Prime Minister of Rhodesia. (Born, 1919, died November 20, 2007.) April 8th is also the anniversary of the death of English experimental gunsmith and author Phillip Luty, in 2011. He was hounded by British authorities for many years. He died of cancer before a scheduled criminal trial. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 88 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 …


The Coast HX4 Light, by The Novice

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Last summer, I went to a garage sale. There, I found a brand new clip light for sale for two dollars. That was too good a deal to pass up, so I bought the light and put it on a shelf in my workshop. It sat there for several months. Then, one autumn evening, I needed to move some firewood after darkness fell. I looked at the various headlamps on my shelf, and decided to give the new one a try. I was very impressed. The little light cast a bright white flood of light wherever I turned my head. …


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 the FGC-9 3D-printed pistol. (See the Gear & Grub section.) Books: I just noticed that …