Year: 2023

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee. And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — November 3, 2023

Stephen F. Austin was born on November 3rd, 1793. He was the founder of the principal settlements of English-speaking people in Texas in the 1820s, when it was still part of Mexico. On November 3rd, 1978, Dominica achieved full independence, with Patrick Roland John as its first prime minister. On November 3, 1903, Walker Evans, the American photographer best known for his portrayal of America during the Great Depression, was born. — 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 …


Some Last-Minute Purchases and Preps – Part 1, by M.M

It appears that we are close to World War 3 according to all the reliable news outlets and the unfolding of current events.  It is only going to take one mistake to get a full-scale war going in several countries, maybe here also.  Pastor Jack Graham of Dallas, Texas has a wonderful video explaining why Hamas hates Israel. It began during King Saul’s time and has escalated to modern-day Iran (Persia). Dr. Graham states we are perilously close to the end of days, and that the current events may be prelude to the end of time. A few military experts …


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 risk of war and the platinum market. (See the Precious Metals section.) Precious Metals: A “gut” platinum trade?  Earlier this week, I had a consulting client ask me what might happen to the precious metals market, in the event of a regional war in the Middle East, or World War Three. This …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — November 2, 2023

November 2, 1947:  American aviator and filmmaker Howard Hughes piloted the Spruce Goose, an eight-engine wooden flying boat intended to carry 750 passengers, on its only flight—one mile. — On November 2, 1917, British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour submitted a declaration of intent to establish a Jewish homeland known as the Balfour Declaration. While Arab hostilities and the outbreak of World War II delayed the desired outcome, the Nation of Israel was eventually re-established in 1948. — Today’s feature article is a guest piece by a SurvivalBlog reader. It is too short to be considered an entry for the …


Know Who’s Running the Show, by B. Unknown

If the key to survival planning is about awareness, then start with becoming aware of the government of your own community. I don’t know about your town. But in my town, being a team player in local government means ignoring and promoting incompetence and tolerating abusive toxic behavior. If you’re a moron, then this is an easy task. If you are a moron who hates working and just wants to fill a seat and get paid for it and be told how wonderful you are for doing nothing, then this is the place for you. If you cry and complain …


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 illegal immigration. Bailing Out Of The Blue States Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site, there is this at the UK Daily Mail: How Americans have …



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 …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — October 31, 2023

On October 31, 1941, after nearly 15 years of work, the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota was completed; the colossal sculpture features the heads of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. (Photo above, by Dean Franklin.) — As Christians, our family does not celebrate the pagan Halloween. Since October 31st is also Reformation Day, that is what we celebrate, here at the Rawles Ranch. — I just heard that Siege Belts has created a new coupon code: “SBLOG” for Survivalblog readers to get $20 off the price of any regularly …