“The extravagant expenditure of public money is an evil not to be measured by the value of that money to the people who are taxed for it.” – President Chester A. Arthur, October 5, 1829 – November 16, 1886 — Our Twenty-First president, 1881–1885. (A Daguerreotype by Rufus Anson, with applied color.)
July 21, 1404: The Battle of Shrewsbury: The Army led by the Lancastrian King of England, Henry IV defeated a rebel army led by Henry “Harry Hotspur” Percy of Northumberland. This ended Percy’s challenge to the throne. This was the first battle in which English archers fought each other on English soil. — July 21,1904: After 13 years of construction, the 4,607-mile Trans-Siberian railway was completed. — In honor of the birthday week of Samuel Colt, we are running a special sale at Elk Creek Company. Many antique and percussion replica gun prices have been reduced — including all of …
I stepped out my door with the dog on a leash, ready to go for a walk. A glance toward the woods on the other side of the driveway did not reveal any signs of life. I was carrying an Armasight Thermal Monocular in my right hand. I turned it on, put it to my right eye, and glanced at the same patch of woods across the driveway just to make sure that the monocular was on. Much to my surprise, I saw a herd of a half dozen or so deer looking back at me. What was easy to …
The following recipe for Baked Hamburger Zucchini is from SurvivalBlog reader Ellen H. Ellen’s Preparation Notes A.) Be sure that the zucchini is well-drained. I press mine through a sieve, to remove moisture. Skipping this step will probably make it soggy. B.) The required baking time may vary. If you have a wide and shallow baking time, then the baking time may be less. C.) This is a main course that recipe serves six adults. Ingredients ½ lb. lean ground beef ½ of a 2″ diameter onion, finely diced 3 ½ c. shredded zucchini, drained 1 c. Bisquick (or homemade …
Today’s graphic: Map of Lead Service Lines per Public Water System. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) The thumbnail below is click-expandable. Reader Robert W. had these comments: “Pretty good fit, eh? This needs a real scientific study. The correlation is just too strong to be coincidence. It’s been long asserted that Romes decline was due in part to its lead pipes, so there’s considerable precedent. Could lead poisoning/brain damage lead to half the voters being disqualified for medical cause? Maybe the real reason cities lean democrat is because of lead poisoning.” Also see this map: The Real Reason …
“Life and liberty are secure only so long as the right of property is secure. All property is an extension of a person’s life, energy, effort, and ingenuity. Therefore, to destroy or confiscate such property (and every person has a ‘property’ in his own ‘person’) is, in reality, an attack on the essence of life itself.” – Mark Skousen
On July 20, 1793, Scottish explorer Alexander Mackenzie completed the first European east-to-west crossing of America north of Mexico. Here is a quote from his biography: “Emigrating at a young age from his native Scotland, Mackenzie began working for a trading company aligned with the North West Company, the big rival to the Hudson Bay Company. In 1788 Mackenzie travelled to and later took charge of a trading port at Lake Athabasca (in modern Alberta). Tasked with discovering a river route to the Pacific Ocean, Mackenzie set out in 1789 and became the first to traverse what is now called …
In an increasingly interconnected world, the security of critical infrastructure, particularly power grids, is paramount. While geopolitical tensions often dominate headlines, there are some extremely concerning threats that aren’t getting as much play as they should: the potential for foreign actors to exploit vulnerabilities in seemingly innocuous imported components. In the essay, we’re going to chat about some recently uncovered instances of undisclosed communication devices embedded in critical infrastructure components, such as solar inverters and port cranes, highlighting the severe risks these “backdoors” pose to national security and even you as a private citizen (prepper or not). We’re also going …
The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: Now We Are Told That There Are Indeed Epstein Files, But We Will Only Get To See The “Relevant” Ones So… Will “Relevant” Mean Seeing Any Trump Kompromat Revelations? News Links: From the Left-biased Snopes: Fact Check: Here’s What We Learned About This Photo of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. FBI agents used a saw to open a safe in Jeffrey Epstein’s Manhattan mansion that held hard drives and diamonds. Who could verify Epstein’s client list? Ghislaine Maxwell, who’s serving time in Florida. Jeffrey Epstein Rumored Mossad Connection Explained. Notes From JWR: Do …
“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the …
On July 19, 1881, Lakota Sloux Indian Chief Sitting Bull surrendered to US federal troops at Fort Buford in the Montana Territory. — July 19th is coincidentally the birthday of handgun designers Samuel Colt (born 1814) and Gaston Glock. (Glock was born in 1929 and passed away in December, 2023.) In honor of the birthday week of Samuel Colt, we just started a one-week sale at Elk Creek Company. Many antique and percussion replica gun prices have been reduced — including all of our Colts — and I’ll include the bonus of an autographed hardback copy of my novel Expatriates …
As a young Private in the U.S.Army, I had wondered what happened inside the company Command Post (CP) or Tactical Operations Center (TOC). I had the opportunity to work in our unit’s Headquarters Platoon, including working in the TOC. Before my personal experiences working inside the TOC, I believed the TOC was where all the officers went to keep warm, get hot coffee, and sit around. After working in the Company Headquarters Platoon, I got reassigned to the Battalion Headquarters Company in the Scout Platoon. These experiences allowed me to grasp how situational awareness is gathered by scouts, analyzed, and …
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 …
“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold. The rich and poor meet together: the Lord is the maker of them all. A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life. Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them. Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, …
On July 18th, 1914 the US Army Air Service was established, as part of the Signal Corps. Pictured are four U.S. Army Vought VE-7 test planes undergoing NACA tests, in 1921. — July 18th, 1954 was the birthdate of Ricky Skaggs, an American country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, mandocaster, and banjo. — Today, we present a guest piece by our friend Patrice Lewis. It first appeared in her excellent Rural Revolution blog. Patrice is also the author of The Simplicity Primer. — We are in need of …
