Month: December 2022

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion. For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon. Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth. Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — December 9, 2022

December 9th, 1914 was the birthday of Maximo Guillermo “Max” Manus. He put his life on the line, fighting the Nazi occupiers. Max Manus passed away in 1996. His exploits are fairly accurately shown in the movie Max Manus: Man of War. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 104 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 …


Silver Fox Army Socks, by Thomas Christianson

I recently bought six pair of Silver Fox brand U.S. Army Men’s Cushion Sole Socks. In terms of comfort and durability, they leave a lot to be desired. In fact, I am so badly disappointed by the performance of the Silver Fox socks that I do not recommend them for field use. If you are desperate, Silver Fox socks are better than no socks at all. But if you have any way of getting Darn Tough Wool Socks, Smart Wool Socks, or another quality brand, then they would probably be a better investment. The Backstory For everyday tasks during the …


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 some bullish predictions for silver and gold. (See the Precious Metals section.) Precious Metals: First up, at Seeking Alpha: Safe Havens For A Volatile 2023: Precious Metals, High Yielding Equities, And Cash. o  o  o A Silver Price Forecast For 2023. o  o  o Silver: is the shine coming …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — December 8, 2022

Today marks the birthday of Eli Whitney, (1765–1825) the inventor of the labor-saving cotton gin, several firearms, and dozens of other mechanical devices. He was the first to demonstrate the advantages of fully interchangeable parts, in firearms manufacture. — We are in great need of entries for Round 104 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 104 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for …


Update: A Home-Based Business — Your Ticket to The Boonies

JWR’s Introductory Note: This article is an update and substantial expansion to a piece that I wrote back in December of 2005. — The majority of SurvivalBlog readers that I talk and correspond with tell me that they live in cities or suburbs, but they would like to live full-time at a retreat in a rural area. Their complaint is almost always the same: “…but I’m not self-employed. I can’t afford to live in the country because I can’t find work there, and the nature of my work doesn’t allow telecommuting.” They feel stuck. The recent Wu Flu pandemic proved …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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 the North Carolina Substations Attacks. Netherlands to Shut Down 3,000 Farms First up, SurvivaBlog reader  D.S.V. found this piece at Australia’s SkyNews: ‘War against humanity’: Netherlands to shut down 3,000 …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — December 7, 2022

On a Sunday morning, in 1941, America was caught sleeping. Then, six decades later, there was that September morning, in 2001. Let’s pray that nothing like those days ever happens again. – JWR — The 2600 Upgrade PVS-14 night vision monocular/weapons sight sale at Ready Made Resources will end on Thursday, December 8, 2022.  With this sale, you will save $400 off normal retail and receive what is normally a $200 upgrade to a 2600 FOM unit. They are in stock and ready to ship, at $3,595. — Special Note: Today’s feature article is a review written by our Field …


Springfield Armory Ronin 1911 10mm, by Pat Cascio

I requested a sample of the new Springfield Armory Ronin 1911 in 10mm as soon as I heard about it. Still, I had to sit and wait for my sample – this gun, in this caliber, is in great demand! Back in 1988, I owned the only 1911-pattern pistol chambered in 10mm at that time. I ended up selling it, because we just moved back to Oregon, and my wife wasn’t yet working as a teacher and I was on disability from an auto accident – collecting a whopping $125 per week. I thought I’d never own another 10mm in …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. — We’ll start out with this, at Brushbeater: The Guerrilla’s Guide To The Baofeng Radio Is Out!! Canadian Provinces Refuse to Assist in Trudeau’s Gun Grab. o  o  o North Carolina power substations taken out by gunfire: sheriff. JWR’s Comment: Time correlation does not necessarily mean causation. o  o  o What Americans Must Do …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — December 6, 2022

Today is the birthday of RAF and RCAF fighter ace George Frederick “Buzz” Beurling. He was born in Verdon, Quebec on December 6, 1921 and killed in Rome Italy, on May 20th, 1948. There are a few books about him and one worth mentioning is his autobiography Malta Spitfire which he wrote in 1943 during a Victory Bond tour in Canada. He left the RCAF in April,1944 with 31 aerial victories, most of them during the siege of Malta in the summer of 1942. — Today is the birthday of “claymation” artist and filmmaker Nick Park (born, 1958.) He is …


Avoiding Complacence in Security, by Robert Downing

While visiting a local church, I had an interesting experience, from a Safety/Security standpoint. My wife and I attended an organ recital at a church after they had installed a massive new pipe organ. The organ was centrally placed with a massive lighting system set up around it to highlight it. The overhead lights lit up the entire area around the organ and additional lights (perhaps as many as 40 small lights) were set up underneath the organ to highlight the various pedals used by the organist. The organist (well-accomplished and semi-famous) explained to the audience the history of the …