Month: November 2023

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — November 1, 2023

100 years ago today, November 1st, 1923, was the birthday of science fiction writer Gordon R. Dickson (born 1923, died January 31, 2001). Many of his novels and short stories, such as Wolf and Iron have survivalist themes. The photo above was taken at a science fiction convention by John A. Johnson. — Today is birthday of Canadian test pilot Russell Bannock. He died in January, 2020, at age 100. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 109 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists …


An Introduction to Bodgery, by Noah L.

Greenwood crafts are essential to the preparedness community. It allows us to create what we need on the move or on homesteads, the things we need to keep going. This is why I have written this article on the practice of bodgery, a sect of greenwood crafts. Bodger. Though the word is synonymous in the United Kingdom with doing only half a job, it is also known in greenwood crafts circles as someone with great skills in the handling of unseasoned timbers (greenwood), with minimal tools and within the woodland masters of their craft bring forth fabrications of assumed unattainability. …


October 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 October? Gold gained $139 in October. Unfortunately, most of those gains were paid for in the blood of Israeli civilians. Gold hit a 7-month low of $1,831 on October 5th. It gained $58 on the 10th to break above the $1,900 mark to settle at $1,941. By the 19th, it was permanently above $1,980. Spot gold prices jumped more than $20 …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: 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. — NOAA space weather scientists now predict a fairly fast-rising and intense solar maximum, to peak in 2025: Solar Cycle Progression Updated Prediction (Experimental). o  o  o Reader L.E. sent this snippet: “Wine Jelly: A very delicious and not overly sweet jelly can be made from wine. I use the cheapest Wild Vines …