Preparedness Notes for Monday — January 15, 2024

On January 15, 1919 a storage tank collapsed in Boston, sending more than two million gallons (eight million litres) of molasses flowing through the city’s North End; the Great Molasses Flood, as it became known, caused extensive damage and killed 21 people. This is the anniversary of the 2009 “Miracle On The Hudson” engines-out emergency water landing. And this is the birthday of Dr. Edward Teller who co-invented the H-bomb and worked on the Manhattan Project. He was born January 15, 1908 in Budapest. He died September 9, 2003 (aged 95). — I just heard that Natchez Shooters Supplies (one …




Bear Swipe IV Folding Knife, by Thomas Christianson

The slightly leaf-shaped blade of the Bear Swipe IV folding knife calls to mind other leaf-shaped blades from ancient history and literature. I like the look of the blade form, and it also makes it easier to get the best angle on certain types of cuts. The assisted-opening, modified-drop-point, saber-grind blade of this Bear-OPS-made knife is 3.25 inches long, razor-sharp and easy to resharpen. It is made of 14C28N Swedish Sandvik steel. The scales of the black and green G10 handle are easy to grip, with a texture that is evocative of unpolished canvas Micarta. The knife has become one …




Recipe of the Week: Potatoes With Savory Sauce

The following recipe for  Potatoes With Savory Sauce is from Good HouseKeeping’s Book of Menus, Recipes, and Household Discoveries (Copyright 1926, now in public domain).  That is one of the 11 new bonus books included in the new 2005-2023 edition of the SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick. Ingredients 12 small potatoes 1 teaspoonful chopped chives 4 tablespoonfuls butter Juice of 1/2 lemon 1 teaspoonful chopped parsley 2 tablespoonfuls of grated cheese 1 tablespoonful chopped red or green sweet pepper 1 teaspoonful salt Pepper, to taste Directions Wash potatoes thoroughly and boil in their jackets. Remove skins. Melt the butter, add parsley, …




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 increasing postal rates and provide an update on real estate values, in 2024. (See the Tangibles Investing section.) Precious Metals: Gold and silver have held fairly high prices thusfar in 2024. JWR’s Comments: When I last checked, spot gold was at 2,062.00 USD per Troy ounce, and silver was at $23.41 per …