Year: 2022

Surviving 21st Century WarGames, by T.S.

I’m willing to bet that the average reader here has seen the 1983 fictional movie that was titled WarGames. In the film, Matthew Broderick’s character inadvertently brings the world to the brink of nuclear war. This all starts with Broderick’s character “war dialing” random phone numbers, looking for dial-up internet modems to connect to. He unwittingly connects to a modem servicing a supercomputer that runs nuclear wargames, while thinking that he’s connected to a computer game company. The situation escalates quickly, but is fortunately resolved without causing World War Three. The movie depicts a mostly harmless teenager just messing around …


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/6313916893b152004ae25117 Meme Text: Leni Riefenstahl’s Propaganda Films Would Have Been So Much More Effective… If She Was Able To Make Them In Color Links: Leni Riefenstahl on InfoGalactic Wiki Joe Biden speech compared to V for Vendetta scene as ‘satanic Biden’ trends on Twitter.


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — September 3, 2022

English general and statesman Oliver Cromwell died on September 3, 1658. On September 3, 1752, Great Britain and its colonies, including the future United States of America officially adopted the Gregorian calendar, and it immediately became September the 14th. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 102 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 …


Consequences of 87,000 New IRS Employees, by Toby

I have read and watched a lot of commentary on the Inflation Reduction Act (ironically abbreviated IRA) recently signed into law. I was most interested in the $80 billion added to the IRS budget and the addition of 87,000 IRS employees — mostly agents — effectively doubling the number of IRS agents. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen made the following statement: “Specifically, I direct that any additional resources – including any new personnel or auditors that are hired – shall not be used to increase the share of small business or households below the $400,000 threshold that are audited relative to …


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:

“And Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it. And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Benhadad, Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine. And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have. And the messengers came …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — September 2, 2022

September 2, 1969 is the day that the first automatic teller machine (ATM) made its first public debut, dispensing cash to customers at Chemical Bank in Rockville Center, New York. While being as indispensable to most people as cell phones and e-mail, they have introduced a whole new set of issues. Consumers are faced with scams, skimmers, and robbers, and even fake ATMs have been discovered. — In place of my usual Friday Economics & Investing column,  I’m posting a guest article about the interplay of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy and the gold markets. — Because Front Sight …


Homemade Yogurt as Survival Food – Part 2, by N.C.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Cooking Tools The pot and metal bowl form a quick double boiler, it’s not strictly necessary, you could just use the pot. Using the double boiler helps keep you from burning or overheating your milk which can lead to a grainy texture. I find it very easy to keep the temperature where I need it and cleanup is easier with the double boiler setup. If you are using a rocket stove or some other live fire source of heat, the boiling water will keep a steadier heat. I use a metal bowl …


Gold Sees Light at the End of the Fed’s Tightening Tunnel, by Arkadiusz Sieroń

Editor’s Note:  This article, selected by JWR, was first published by Sunshine Profits, and is reposted with permission. — The FOMC hiked rates by 75 basis points in July. However, the recession drums are getting louder, and gold likes such music. Another large interest rate hike! The Fed raised the federal funds rate by 75 basis points to 2.25-2.50%. It was the second such big move in a row, making the current tightening cycle the steepest in modern history. So, the Fed must be hawkish now, right?



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — September 1, 2022

September is Kilted to Kick Cancer Month. September is also National Preparedness Month. And speaking of preparedness, the Paratus Holiday celebration is always the third Friday in September. (That will be September 16th, this year.) — Some Sad News: I belatedly heard about the passing of my old friend, Kurt Wilson, the owner of Survival Enterprises. I was just informed that he died of a heart attack, in December of 2021. His widow and son are carrying on with his family business. The archived podcasts of Kurt’s “The Armchair Survivalist” are still available. Kurt was a great guy, and he …


Homemade Yogurt as Survival Food – Part 1, by N.C.

Yogurt isn’t something most of us think about. I love my classic “Back to Basics” book, it’s chock full of things that I say “oh yeah I should try that”, from carpentry to basket weaving to tinsmithing to blacksmithing. I love that book. But the section on making your own yogurt I looked at and said “yeah…no. Why would I ever do that?” Fast forward 5 years and I’ve lost count of how many batches of yogurt I’ve made. Some advantages of yogurt: Yogurt can get around lactose intolerance for some people, It is a form of milk preservation, It …


August 2022 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover gold’s performance, and the factors that affected gold prices. What Did Gold Do in August? This was a rough month for gold, as central bank rate hikes sent the dollar to 20-year highs and US markets began to think that inflation has already peaked. The Bank of England raised interest rates by 50 bp as expected on August 4th, but its forecast of a 15-month recession starting by the end of the year AND 13% …


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 increasing risk of a second civil war in the United States. September 17th: Great Lakes Prepping Expo The announcement: “After being unable to hold the show for two years …