Month: March 2022

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 rising commodities prices. (See the Commodities section.) Precious Metals: First up, at MoneyWeek: These precious metals are dirt cheap – buy now. o  o  o Will Russia Backstop The Ruble With Gold? o  o  o Over at Organic Prepper: We’ve Officially Run Out of Silver. Economy & Finance: Recession …



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — March 27, 2022

March 27th is the birthday of the late Robert W. Ford (born 1923, died 20 September 2013). He was an amazing man who had a remarkable life. His book, Wind Between The Worlds (an account of experiences in Tibet, captivity by the communist Chinese, and his fight against brainwashing), is highly recommended. It is available for free download. — Today’s feature article is a product review written by JWR.


Review: The Siege Belt

As the Senior Editor of SurvivalBlog, I don’t have the opportunity to write many product reviews. Most of that fun is reserved for our two Field Gear Editors. But I recently received a sample of a new product that captivated me, so I decided to conduct the review test, myself. It is called The Siege Belt.  It is a new product that is made by the same folks who manufacture the sturdy Siege Stoves. (You probably recall their name, as one of our advertisers.) Proviso: I’m not an attorney. Do not consider any of the following as legal advice.  Consult …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: To share this, you can find it here:https://www.kapwing.com/videos/623b1a07b3ea9f0065858946 Meme Text: Since When is it No Longer Newsworthy When A Laptop Belonging to the Son of a Sitting President Holds Evidence of Foreign Bribes and Child Pornography? News Links: White House, intel bigs mum on Hunter Biden’s laptop after their Russian plot claims disproven. Here Is The Newly Found ‘Laptop From Hell’ Evidence Hunter Biden Was Involved In Financing Biolabs In Ukraine. Emails from Hunter Biden’s laptop contain records the Secret Service did not hand over to lawmakers. Inside Hunter Biden’s Laptop. EXCLUSIVE: Allegations Hunter …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — March 26, 2022

On March 26th, 1812 An earthquake now estimated at 7.7 on the Richter scale destroyed 90% of Caracas, Venezuela and killed an estimated 15,000–to-20,000 people. The Battle of Glorieta Pass began on March 26, 1862. This outcome of this battle ensured that the west stayed with the Union, and denied the Confederacy the gold and silver from the western states. The Confederates were stopped by a very mis-nicknamed unit ( “The Pet Lambs”) – the 1st Colorado Volunteers (officially, the 1st Colorado Infantry) made up of hard rock miners (predominantly Cornish or Welsh), Irish track layers, mountain men, and some …


Handguns For Hard Times – Part 2, by Rufus King

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Traditional Double Action Pistols Aside from striker-fired pistols, the traditional double action/single action (“TDA”) pistol has a following. Examples of this design are the SIG P226 and the Beretta M9. With this type of action, the pistol is carried with its exposed hammer in the down position. The first shot is fired with a long, heavy double action trigger pull. After the first shot, the pistol cocks itself, and subsequent shots are fired single action, with a lighter, shorter trigger pull. Given that the hardest thing about shooting a pistol is learning …


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 your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in this column, in …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — March 25, 2022

This is the birthday of English film director David Lean. He was born in Croydon, England in 1908. He died in 1991. He is best known for his films Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai and Doctor Zhivago. National Medal of Honor day is officially observed on March 25th of each year. On March 25 1944 RAF Flight Sergeant Nicholas Alkemade survived a jump from a burning Lancaster bomber from 18,000 feet over Germany without a parachute. His fall was broken by pine trees and soft snow, and he suffered only a sprained leg. He died on …


Handguns For Hard Times – Part 1, by Rufus King

What handgun should you have for hard times? Handguns tend to be a deeply personal thing, and people tend to be emotionally attached to their favorites. We all have different priorities and different levels of training and experience, so it can be difficult to talk about handgun selection, particularly online, without talking past one another. I have been seriously training in defensive handgunning for over 20 years. Back when I was a sworn law enforcement officer, I was a certified LE firearms instructor in my state. I average at least one professional training class per year. I teach NRA classes …


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 rollercoaster ride in the markets since the February invasion of Ukraine. Precious Metals: Gold and silver inch higher.  JWR’s Comments: In my estimation, silver is now poised for a leap into the $40 per Troy ounce range.  With a market that thin, all that it would take is …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — March 24, 2022

March 24th is the birthday of Dr. Arthur B. Robinson (of OISM fame) who was born in 1942. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 99 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 onPoint Tactical …