Year: 2024

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — August 1, 2024

I’m pleased to announce that a new prize has been added to the First Prize package, for the SurvivalBlog writing contest. The good folks at HSM Ammunition in Stevensville, Montana are now providing a $250 gift certificate, starting with this latest writing contest round that begins today (Round 114.)  The certificate can be used for any of their products. If you haven’t tried their ammo, take a look at their website and check out their broad line of top-quality newly-manufactured cartridges.  They even make mild “Cowboy” loads that are suitable for antique revolvers. — August 1st is celebrated as Swiss …


Writing Contest Prizes Winners Announced: Round 113

We’ve completed the judging for Round 113 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.  Round 113 began on June 1, 2024, and ended on July 31, 2024. (The contest runs in rounds that each last two months.) The prize-winning writers for Round 113 are: First Prize First Prize goes to A.F., for: Stocking Up: OTC Medications Part 1 and Part 2. It was posted on July 9 &10, 2024. He will receive the following prizes: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than …


Ballistics, Rifle Marksmanship and Why They Matter – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

Introduction I would argue that if Donald Trump’s would-be-assassin on July 13, 2024 had used a bullet with a higher ballistic coefficient, or if the wind had changed, regardless of the cartridge actually used, then Trump would have been killed or gravely injured.  How is it that Trump turned his head just before the bullet passed by?  This attempt on Trump’s life is a clear indication of the lateness of the hour.  Only by an act of God do we have more time to prepare.  Like many other SurvivalBlog readers, I was an admirer of the late Bob Griswold who …


July, 2024 in Precious Metals, by Everett Millman

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 silver’s performance and examine the factors that affected the metal prices. WHAT DID GOLD AND SILVER DO IN JULY? Silver had another fairly volatile month, much as it has for the better part of 2024. The swings back and forth for prices have become increasingly frequent since the second quarter of the year began. During July silver futures traded as low as $27.75/oz and as high as $31.43/oz, a significant spread of …


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 examine the new threat of de-orbiting space debris. The Deadly Era of Space Junk Tam suggested this piece, over at Scientific American: A New, Deadly Era of Space …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — July 31, 2024

The first ascent of K2 was made by an Italian expedition led by Ardito Desio on July 31, 1954. — And on July 31, 1958, the Anti-Chinese uprising began in Tibet. — Today’s feature article is a guest piece by fellow blogger Mrs. Alaska. Because it will also be posted to her blog, it will not be part of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. We are now seeking entries for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking …


Two Inexpensive and Easy Food/Pollinator Crops, by Mrs. Alaska

In the past, people who migrated from one country or region to another invariably brought seeds with them. This is prudent. But many times, the plants of one ecosystem cannot grow in another, due to temperature or soil conditions. Imagine the problems (hunger) that ensued. The most valuable seeds at the end of a journey, I imagine, were those that could grow the fastest to some edible stage in a variety of new locations, proliferate, set seeds, and repeat. Here, I would like to sing the praises of two modest plants, wild and domesticated in a broad range of USDA …


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. — An astute video essay from The Patriot Nurse: How To Prepare For Civil War. o  o  o How a Perfect Storm Sent Church Insurance Rates Skyrocketing. o  o  o An inspiring essay: The Value of an Aged Human Being. o  o  o



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — July 30, 2024

On July 30, 1419: First defenestration of Prague: anti-Catholic Hussites, followers of executed reformer Jan Hus, stormed Prague town hall and threw the judge, mayor, and several city council members out the windows. They died in the fall or were killed by the crowd outside. — July 30, 1869: The Charles, considered the world’s first “oil tanker”, departs from the United States headed for Europe with a bulk capacity of 7,000 barrels of oil. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 113 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: …


Pandemics: I Hope I’m Wrong, by SaraSue

Ever since the Plandemic hit the scene a few years back, I have been following dissenting medical voices.  I watched while they were silenced and banned for daring to disagree with the “regime” of the pharmaceutical industrial complex partnered with government and so-called “healthcare”.  Some were stripped of their medical licenses, others pushed out of practice, and some sued into oblivion.  It was shocking to me that our formerly “agree to disagree” society had stooped so low as to punish people, quite literally, for having a different opinion.  I had to pinch myself to see if I was in a …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. Today, some coverage of summer wildfires throughout the region Idaho Level 3 (Go Now!) Evacuations issued for Gwen Fire near Juliaetta. JWR’s Comments:  That long sloping valley was where the late Carla Emery lived, back in the 1980s. She was the author of The Encyclopedia of …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — July 29, 2024

On July 29, 1609, Samuel de Champlain shot and killed two Iroquois chiefs at Ticonderoga, New York setting the stage for French-Iroquois conflicts for the next 150 years. — Please say a prayer for Pastor Chuck Balwin. He underwent emergency abdominal surgery about six weeks ago, and he is slowly recovering. — Today’s feature article is a review written by SurvivalBlog staffer Tom Christianson. — We are now seeking entries for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, …