Preparedness Notes for Monday — February 22, 2021

On this day in 1732, George Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, the second son from the second marriage of a colonial plantation owner. An initially loyal British subject, Washington eventually led the Continental Army in the American Revolution and became known as the father of the United States. — On this day in 1943,  Sophie Scholl was executed by beheading for organizing the White Rose group–a student resistance to the Hitler regime.  She had been convicted of high treason, after having been found distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich (LMU) with her brother, Hans. She was …




Zero Tolerance 0393GLCF, by Pat Cascio

Some knife designs only last about a year on the market, or so I was told, by the owner of a large knife company.  So, whenever I see a “new” design, that really isn’t new at all, but an updated version, it catches my attention. It takes a lot – a big gamble – for a knife company to come out with the basic same design, it did years ago, but with some updates and improvements. So, it is with the Zero Tolerance 0393GLCF folder that I’ve been testing. Zero Tolerance is a division of KAI Corporation, and they also …




Recipe of the Week: Chicken and Rice Curry

The following recipe for Chicken and Rice Curry 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 is one of the many bonus items included in the latest edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick. This 15th Anniversary Edition (2005-2020) USB stick is now available for pre-ordering. The 14th Edition sold out quickly, so order soon. Ingredients 1 tablespoon butter or butter substitute 1 tablespoon flour 1 cup milk Salt Pepper 2/3 teaspoon curry-powder 3/4 …




Economics & Investing For Preppers

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 gold-to-silver ratio. (See the Precious Metals section.) Precious Metals: Have you noticed the shift in the silver-to-gold price ratio?  I repeatedly urged my readers to ratio trade out of gold and into silver when the ratio was north of 95-to-1. With silver now up to $27.26 per Troy …







Preparedness Notes for Sunday — February 21, 2021

February 21st is the birthday of Group Captain Douglas Bader (born 1910, died 5 September 1982). He was a Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter ace during the Second World War. He lost his legs in a pre-war flying accident, but that didn’t stop him from re-entering the RAF when war broke out. He was credited with 20 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared probable, and 11 enemy aircraft damaged. Bader was eventually shot down and became a POW in Germany. Since the Luftwaffe ran its own POW camps, he became a celebrity with his captors. Bader’s autobiography …




Budget Dry Fire Training: The Mantis X2, by The Novice

The story is told of a man with a leaky roof. One rainy day, his wife said to him, “The roof is leaking. Why don’t you fix it?” The man replied, “I can’t. It’s raining.” The next day dawned sunny and clear. The man’s wife said to him, “The weather is nice today. Why don’t you fix the roof?” The man replied, “I don’t need to. It’s not leaking.” Many firearm owners now find themselves in a similar position to the man with the leaky roof. For a number of years, ammunition was plentiful and inexpensive. They said, “Why do …




JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:   To share this, you can find it here: https://kapwi.ng/c/4xQD2JtQ   Meme Text: 18 States Now Have Constitutional Carry So… Where is all of that “Blood in the Streets” that the Liberals Promised?   There is some interesting data and an animated map showing the progress of Constitutional Carry (aka “Permitless concealed carry’) law enactment, here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_carry




The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. The husbandman that laboureth must be …




Preparedness Notes for Saturday — February 20, 2021

This is the birthday of novelist and screenwriter Richard Matheson (1926–2013). He wrote many sci-fi television scripts. His novella I Am Legend later was adapted into three different movies over the course of five decades, and his story Bid Time Return became the charming movie Somewhere In Time. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 93 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than …




Update: Modifying the Pelican 2620 HeadsUp Lite, by The Novice

Recently, my daughter had a baby. It was a little girl, our first granddaughter. My wife and I made the pilgrimage across state lines to see this great wonder. The big brothers were not neglected during our visit. My wife took along the “Grandma Basket” filled with clothes and toys and treats for the boys to help them join in the celebration. Among the toys in the Grandma Basket was a bag of several balloons equipped with LED lights. These particular balloons were labeled as “PartyGlow” balloons, marketed by Unique Industries, Inc. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My wife purchased this gift …




Editors’ Prepping Progress

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.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready! Jim Reports: This week has been hectic. In …




The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not; The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots. The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses: Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, …




Preparedness Notes for Friday — February 19, 2021

Today is the birthday of Lee Marvin (1924–1987), who you may remember from The Professionals and The Big Red One. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 93 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value), A course certificate from …