Day: May 1, 2026

Preparedness Notes for Friday — May 1, 2026

On May 1, 1840 the “Penny Black” — the world’s first adhesive postage stamp was issued by the United Kingdom. It featured an image of Queen Victoria. — May 1, 1857: William Walker, conqueror of Nicaragua, surrendered to the U.S. Navy, in Rivas. — And on May 1, 1898 US Admiral George Dewey commanded: “You may fire when you are ready, Gridley” as the US routed the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay. — An encouraging news flash: House Appropriations 2027 Funding Bill Ends Suppressor, Short Barrel Rifle Registration. JWR’s Comment:  Be sure to contact both your U.S. congressman and your …


A Brief But Very Serious Word of Warning on AI

“There’s a storm coming…” I’m the founder and Senior Editor of SurvivalBlog. Unlike the editors of many other preparedness blogs and vlogs, I try not be an alarmist. However, some recent revelations about generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications autonomously breaking through firewalls, showing signs of self-awareness and self-preservation “instinct”, scheming blackmail, and surreptitiously mining cryptocurrencies now have me feeling quite alarmed. I fear that perhaps within months an AI will go fully rogue, to wit: It will escape its development lab and then proliferate itself in a virus-like fashion across servers all around the world. Once it starts spreading, it …


Economics & Investing Media of the Week

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers. Economics & Investing Links of Interest Price hikes, outlook cuts – What airlines are doing as fuel costs surge. Wall Street Journal: U.S. Debt Tops 100% of GDP. Oil briefly touches $126, its highest price in four years. In 8 weeks, the Iran war has dented the U.S. economy. The damage could linger, economists say. $65B lithium mother lode hidden beneath Appalachian Mountains could supply US with power for centuries. Economics & Investing Media Tips: Please send …