Year: 2024

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

The state is the great fictitious entity by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else. For, today as in the past, each of us, more or less, would like to profit from the labor of others. One does not dare to proclaim this feeling publicly, one conceals it from oneself, and then what does one do? One imagines an intermediary; one addresses the state, and each class proceeds in turn to say to it: “You, who can take fairly and honorably, take from the public and share with us.” Alas! The state is only too ready …


Preparedness Notes for Sunday — June 9, 2024

On June 9, 1803, British explorer Matthew Flinders arrived in Sydney becoming the first person to circumnavigate Australia, proving it is one continent. — On June 9, 1923, the Brinks company unveiled their first armored security vans. — On June 9, 1960, Roy Orbison released the single “Only the Lonely”. It became his first major hit – peaking at #2 in the US and topping the UK charts. — Today is the birthday of Jean Alexandre Francois LeMat (1824–1883), is best known for the percussion cap revolver that bears his name. This clever design has a cylinder that rotates around …


Providing For Your Family During Power Outages – Part 2, by B.S.V.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Unfortunately, there isn’t a good level of sun available during heavy rains. We were also beginning to lose sunlight so solar wouldn’t be all that helpful even if the skies were clear. Evaluating the EB70S powering the television, I could see that it was going to lose power overnight. We didn’t need it for information any longer, but as we were still trapped inside from significant rain, it was now our primary source of entertainment. Of course, in a dire situation we could ration that power consumption to make it last multiple …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: I Was Just Two Years Old on D-Day, 1944 So Why Can These 100+ Year-Old D-Day Landing Veterans Stay Awake and Hold Their Fudge, Better Than Me? News Links: On 80th anniversary of D-Day invasion, Biden and Macron honor WWII veterans at Normandy. Joe Biden onlookers fear he ‘pooped his pants’ at D-Day event Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks! Permission to repost memes that I’ve created …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. If thou put the brethren in remembrance of …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — June 8, 2024

On June 8, 1918, Nova Aquila, the brightest nova since Kepler’s nova of 1604, was discovered. Remnants of the stellar explosion can still be seen. — On June 8th, 1776, Canadian Governor Sir Guy Carleton defeated American Patriot forces under John Sullivan. After taking heavy losses and the loss of General Richard Montgomery at Quebec, the Patriots were pursued by Governor Carleton. Halfway between Quebec and Montreal, at the Trois-Rivieres, the Patriots turned to fight. The Redcoats and German mercenaries killed 25, wounded 140, and captured 236, but Carleton allowed the rest of the 2,500-man force to complete their retreat. …


Providing For Your Family During Power Outages – Part 1, by B.S.V.

For the last several months I have been thinking of writing an article for SurvivalBlog, but there have been so many great articles by so many knowledgeable people that I have spent most of my time learning from SurvivalBlog rather than writing for it. That changed last week (as I write this). I live in North Texas and was impacted by the storms that came through. A lot of news has, rightfully, focused on those areas where tornadoes caused damage – and there were enough of those to keep the news cycles busy. However, the news coverage was virtually non-existent …


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:

“Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Fear not; for thou shalt not be …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — June 7, 2024

On June 7th, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed to the Continental Congress a resolution calling for a Declaration of Independence. June 7th, 1967 was the day of Jerusalem’s redemption from foreign governments in the Six Day War, placing it back under Israeli sovereign control after having been occupied for over 2,500 years. This was in accord with the UN General Assembly’s vote in 1948. — Today’s feature article was written by SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, James Wesley, Rawles (JWR). — We are in need of entries for Round 113 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than …


Post Your Curtilage Boundaries!

In recent years American courts have not bolstered private property rights.  It has been well-publicized how the courts have deferred to local governments and even to private land developers, in allowing Eminent Domain declarations to deprive even multi-generational land owners of their property, for “public use”. This has gone far beyond just widening highways. Some of these “takings” have been for boondoggles like building privately-owned sports stadiums and shopping malls. But much less well known are court cases at the state and Federal levels that have upheld the assumed right of law enforcement officers to enter and surveil private lands …


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 recent oil glut. (See the Commodities section.) Precious Metals: Gold: Reversal Signals are Increasing. o  o  o The latest from Hub Moolman: The US Dollar or Silver: Make Your Choice. o  o  o Why It’s Time to Stop Taxing Gold & Silver.  (Full disclosure: Bullionstar is a SurvivalBlog affiliate advertiser.) Economy …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — June 6, 2024

Today is the 80th Anniversary of D-Day Normandy Landings. On June 6, 1932, The Revenue Act of 1932 was enacted, creating the first gasoline tax in the United States, at a rate of 1 cent per US gallon sold. On June 6, 1816, there was a record 10″ of snowfall for a June day was reported in New England. This was part of a “year without a summer” that followed the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia. On June 6th, 1513: The Battle of Novara, the War of the League of Cambrai: the Swiss Confederacy defeat the French. Today is …


Come Home, Now!, by M. Paul

This article is addressed to my adult children and their families. It should be useful to those readers who have family members who are spread out across a region of the country. It is intended to provide information and logistics for improving the odds of successful transport for those who may be planning to come “home” when there are natural disasters, or the Stuff Hits The Fan (SHTF). Disasters, in my judgment, can range from large storms, tornados, large fires, and floods, all the way up to EMPs, world war, or deep societal breakdown. Each of these, to varying degrees, …