Month: December 2024

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 …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words. When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — December 27, 2024

December 27, 1943: Following a naval gun battle with British ships, the German battleship Scharnhorst sank. It was sunk by the Royal Navy’s battleship HMS Duke of York with support of cruisers and destroyers, including an onslaught from the destroyer HNoMS Stord of the exiled Royal Norwegian Navy, off the North Cape, Norway. — On this day in 1949, four years after nationalist revolutionary leader Sukarno had declared Indonesia’s independence, formal sovereignty over the country was transferred from the Dutch to the United States of Indonesia. — And on December 27, 1978 Spain became a democracy after 40 years of dictatorship …


Soil Chemistry Basics, by D.N.G.

I want to write about soil chemistry.  A very brief overview is as follows: I became interested in gardening when three years old and by the time I was a teenager I was putting as much (sometimes more) food on the table as my father. I had pretty much taken over the family garden and spent more time there than all of our other family members put together. Winter Squash was my number one vegetable that I enjoyed growing the most, but there were others including sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, green beans, potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, watermelon, muskmelon, cucumbers and a …


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 crop price predictions for 2025. (See the Commodities section.) Precious Metals: NASDAQ: Silver Price Forecast: Top Trends That Will Affect Silver in 2025. o  o  o At Gold-Eagle.com: Gold SWOT: BMO: Conditions Appear Favorable for a Broader Gold Equity Rally in 2025. o  o  o How Macro Changes Will Impact Gold in …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — December 26, 2024

December 26, 1776: During the American War of Independence, after crossing the Delaware River, George Washington led US troops to defeat the Hessian mercenaries in the Battle of Trenton, New Jersey. — Twenty years ago today, on December 26, 2004, the Indian Ocean region Tsunami took more than 250,000 lives. — December 26, 1947: Heavy snow blanketed the Northeast, burying New York City under 25.8″ of snow in 16 hours. That same day, Los Angeles set a record high of 84°F. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The …


Why I Still Have Dairy Cows, by SaraSue

I have been a milkmaid now three, going on four, years.  Of all the things I’ve tried on the farm, the dairy cow is one I hope to have until I am so old I can’t carry a bucket of milk.  I don’t have any cows “in milk” right now, as a planned winter break.  I have two cows pregnant with Spring calves, and one heifer (a young cow who has not yet been bred back or calved).  This is the first time I’ve taken a milking break in three years and I’m having dairy withdrawals.  I tried purchasing milk …


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 robotic warfare. All-Robot Force in Ukraine SurvivalBlog staff writer Tom Christianson spotted this article (with accompanying video): Ukraine deploys all-robot battleforce for the first time …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — December 25, 2024

We send our best wishes to both our readers who celebrate Christmas and to those who celebrate Hanukkah and the Biblical feasts.  May God grant his blessings on our nation in the new year! — On December 25, 1066, William the Conqueror was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey, completing the Norman conquest of England. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 116 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 …


Prescription Drug Preparedness – Part 2, by Rural Pharmacist

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) My thoughts on the kit, it is a good grouping of valuable broad-spectrum antibiotics. I would like to store larger quantities. I think the kit could be purchased cheaper through a local Doctor/Pharmacy if available for you. A good emergency antibiotic kit should include the previous mentioned drugs; Augmentin 500mg or 875mg, Azithromycin 250mg Z-pack, Ciprofloxacin 500mg tablets, Doxycycline 100mg, and Metronidazole 500mg. I would add: Amoxicillin 500mg capsules; a broad-spectrum antibiotic, easier on the stomach than Augmentin, good for dental infections, and upper respiratory infections, pneumonia, usual dosage is 500mg 3 …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our 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. — A new video from Ian McCollum: SIG P320 Flux Legion / Flux Raider: The Best Pistol-PDW System Yet. o  o  o Congo says mystery disease behind dozens of deaths of women and children finally identified as severe malaria. JWR’s Comment: When I first heard about this new disease outbreak, it reminded me …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“First of all, we should know that Islam means ‘submission,’ not peace. This does not imply mere voluntary submission but includes a forced submission where subjects will not comply. Historically Islam is not known for its peace movements, but for a uniquely Arab word we all know as ‘jihad,’ which means an offensive war intended to lead to the conversion of the infidel to Islam or his annihilation.” – Dr. Thomas Ice


Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — December 24, 2024

On December 24, 1814, the Treaty of Ghent was signed, ending the War of 1812 between the United States, the United Kingdom, and their allies. — December 24, 1818: The Christmas carol Stille Nacht (“Silent Night”) composed by Franz Xaver Gruber was first sung at St Nicholas parish church in Oberndorf, Austria. — And on December 24, 1889, Daniel Stover & William Hance patented a bicycle with a back-pedal brake. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists …