Month: April 2023

Government Decline: The Next Big Thing, by Michael X.

The civilized world is in decline. The decline is definitely affecting the once-great United States. Most people know we are in trouble. Many do not like the current course of our government. Unfortunately, many of those people still believe we can make some adjustments (vote ‘em out!!) and “get back to normal”. This belief keeps them from making the changes and the preparations that may help them in the future. It is time for a realistic review of the situation and the beginning of an effort to decide what is wrong, what if anything can be done to fix it, …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: Go Woke, Lose $5 Billion in Stock Valuation Shares… Low… …er News Links: Anheuser-Busch loses more than $5 billion in value amid Dylan Mulvaney Bud Light controversy JWR’s Comment: The transvestite ad campaign and Bud Light can logo fiasco were dreamed up by Anheuser-Busch Marketing VP Alissa Heinerscheid. Just imagine how will this look on her resume, under “Accomplishments”…  


The Editors’ Quote of the Day: 

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — April 15, 2023

Today, April 15, 2023 is the 20th Blogiversary of Commander Zero’s Notes From The Bunker blog. Congratulations, Z.! April 15th is traditionally Tax Day, but I prefer to remember its as musician Roy Clark’s birthday. He was born April 15, 1933. April 15th, 1912, is also the anniversary of the sinking of the “unsinkable” Titanic. 1,517 people lost their lives on the maiden voyage. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 106 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 …


Commo for Family, Group, or Community – Part 5, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 4. This concludes the article.) There is a serious weakness in the Baofeng UV-5R and several other similar radios, since there is no off-the-shelf charger made to charge these radios from a standard 12vdc source. Fortunately, we can make our own 12vdc step-down charger power supply by putting together the parts that I list below. It can charge up to four Baofeng UV5R radios, or any brand handheld radios, and even some Kenwood and Midland radios (transceivers), or any radio that requires 9vdc  to 10vdc at its charger base. It can charge more than 4 handhelds at …


Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both 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 the Odds ‘n …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street. The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter! Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness. The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — April 14, 2023

On this day in 1865, just after the effective end of the American Civil War, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending a production at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and died the next morning. — On April 14, 1828 Noah Webster published An American Dictionary of the English Language; based on the principle that word usage should evolve from the spoken language, the work was hugely influential, though it was initially attacked for its “Americanism.” — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The …


Commo for Family, Group, or Community – Part 4, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 3.) CB Radios Cobra has time-tested models that are sure to please you. However, there are less expensive brands that may be just as reliable, but lack some of the useful features that Cobra offers. Regardless, 40-channel handhelds and mobile CBs are limited to 3.5 watts. As a practical matter, I would be inclined to buy several of the least expensive CBs before getting something as nice as a full-featured Cobra, or better yet, a CB with SSB. I apply this approach to all my purchases in order to create as deep a supply as possible.  Logistics …


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. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. Most of these items are from JWR’s “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective. Today, we catch some whiffs of recession in the air. (See the Commodities section.) Precious Metals: Gold and silver have seen another week of solid price gains versus the Dollar. As of Thursday morning: Spot Gold was at $2,058.10 per Troy ounce, up $34.10 (up 1.67% for the day) Spot Silver was at $26.10 per Troy …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Americans may like guns because they were reminiscent of the smell of outdoors, military heroism, the intensity of the hunt or merely because they are fascinated by the finely machined metal parts. Maybe the origin of a gun speaks of history; maybe the gun makes a man’s home seem to him less vulnerable; maybe these feelings are more justified in the country than in the city; but, above all, many of us believe that these feelings are a man’s own business and need not be judged by the Department of the Treasury or the Department of Justice.” – Samuel Cummings, …


Preparedness Notes for Thursday — April 13, 2023

April 13, 1743 was the birthday of Thomas Jefferson. Patriotically, he died on July 4th, 1826. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 106 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), Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees …


Commo for Family, Group, or Community – Part 3, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 2.) Test All Antennas for Acceptable SWR The antenna manufacturer of the Tram 1481 boosts an impressive gain on the VHF side of 8 dBi. Given the low power tests conducted, I found this figure plausible as 3.5 watts sent to the dual band Tram 1481 antenna mount only a few feet off the ground was easily received by a Baofeng UV5R on a J-pole located at a distance of 18.3 miles away LOS, and on the other side of a small mountain. The signal was reflect around the mountain. The SWR on low power at that …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is 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. In today’s column, we look at Sales Tax Holidays. Texas: Emergency Preparation Supplies Sales Tax Holiday Texas has announced an Emergency Preparation Supplies Sales Tax Holiday that will run April 22-24, …