Month: September 2023

The Death of the Incandescent Lamp, by OhioGalt

I was recently walking through the local Amish hardware and noticed a variety of 12 volt LED lamps with power tool battery adapters for Dewalt and Milwaukee tools. So it seems the Amish have been moving away from the old Aladdin kerosene lamps (which we have a house full of) and more towards modern electric lighting. Along side of the 12volt LED lamps were standard 120v LED and Incandescent lamps. I remembered at that moment our Washington DC administration had quietly banned the sale of Incandescent lamps as of August 1 of this year. My guess is the Amish probably …


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:

“And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he was pleased to do, That the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon. And the Lord said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. And if thou wilt walk before …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — September 1, 2023

Well, here it is folks: Yesterday (August 31, 2023), the Biden Regime announced that it is attempting to redefine “engaged in the business” of selling firearms, radically amplifying and expanding the wording of the Gun Control Act of 1968.  This proposed rulemaking is a clear violation of the Second Amendment, the 4th Amendment, the 10th Amendment, the Interstate Commerce Clause, the Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen decision, and the Separation of Powers clauses (Article I.S1.3.1) of the Constitution. (Only Congress can create new laws.) The 90-day comment period is now open. Because the Bidenistas are likely to ignore the public’s objections …


Training Your Puppy, by Hollyberry

There are many articles on how to train a dog for home protection but not much on training for a basic house pet. I have had many dogs through the years. I even once showed a bull terrier for several years but would not care to ever do that again due to the politics of the dog show world. I had hired a dog trainer to help me and she informed me that she was not training my dog but training me. It would do no good for the dog to listen to her and not me. The skills I …


August 2023 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 affect gold prices. What Did Gold Do in August? The triple whammy of higher bond yields, lower oil prices, and a surging dollar worked to depress gold prices in the middle of the month, causing spot gold to close under $1,900 from the 16th to the 22nd. An unexpectedly soft PMI report on the 23rd finally lifted the foot of bond yields off the neck of gold as 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. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the Urban Doom Loop concept. (See the Economy & Finance section.) Precious Metals: A fascinating read, from Jan Nieuwenhuijs: The West Is Losing Control Over the Gold Price. o  o  o Zimbabwe central bank close to introducing gold-backed digital tokens into retail. o  o  o Central Bank Gold Demand Hits Record High, …