“A system of capitalism presumes sound money, not fiat money manipulated by a central bank. Capitalism cherishes voluntary contracts and interest rates that are determined by savings, not credit creation by a central bank.” – Ron Paul
On February 19, 2008, Fidel Castro finally stepped down as Cuba’s president. He was then 81 years old and had been in power for 49 years. His successor was his younger brother Raul, who was also a stiff-necked communist. He held power until 2021. The nation is still mired in communist bureaucracy and central planning. — And on February 19, 1910, Typhoid Mary (Mary Mallon) was freed from her first periods of forced isolation and went on to cause several further outbreaks of typhoid in the New York area. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round …
There have been many articles by myself and others on SurvivalBlog that discuss the use of mobile electronic devices such as radios, flashlights, cell phones, red dot sights, drones, cameras, etc. for emergency preparedness and disaster scenarios. The one thing all such devices have in common is that they require power of some sort, usually in the form of a battery, and without power those devices are about as useful as a paper weight (I guess you could use them as projectiles). Understanding how batteries work and how to best manage them can help ensure you get a long and …
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, more on the rise of robot technology. The Robot Revolution Is Nigh Survivalog staff writer Tom Christianson was the first of several folks to suggest this American Spectator …
“Let every man, every corporation, and especially let every village, town, and city, every county and State, get out of debt and keep out of debt. It is the debtor that is ruined by hard times.” – Rutherford B. Hayes
February 18, 1678: John Bunyan‘s Christian novel “The Pilgrim’s Progress” was published in London by Nathaniel Ponder. Pictured is John Bunyan’s Tomb, at Bunhill Field, London. — Today is also the birthday of astronaut Theodore Cordy “Ted” Freeman (February 18, 1930 – October 31, 1964.) Ted Freeman and his wife Faith were friends of my mother and father. Both my father and Ted Freeman were stationed at Bryan Air Force base in the early 1950s, and they rented houses three blocks apart, in College Station, Texas. (My father was a T-33 instructor pilot.) About ten years later, while training as …
Imagine that you were a weakling who kept his cash under his mattress, and you lived in a bad neighborhood that was dominated by the Mafia. Every year or two, Mafia thugs would come by and threaten to beat you to death, and demand: “Half for us and half for you.” That is a bit like what it is like to live in an era of mass inflation. But with inflation, the cash extractions are gradual, and almost invisible. No thugs. Just melting purchasing power. Perhaps I chose a poor analogy, but bear with me, while I explain: As a …
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. — SurvivalBlog reader Tim J. sent us this: The Culture of Raising Barns. o o o “Everyone’s Grandma Is Selling the Silver Chandelier, Forks, Knives” as Scrap Volumes Overwhelm Refiners. o o o J.T. in Florida sent this television news link: Civilians in Florida are training like soldiers: ‘Best prevention to war’. JWR’s …
“The more the state ‘plans’ the more difficult planning becomes for the individual.” – Friedrich Von Hayek
On February 17, 1940, the Altmark Incident: The crew of the British destroyer Cossack (pictured) boarded the German tanker Altmark in Jøssingfjord, Norway, releasing 299 British prisoners after hand-to-hand fighting with bayonets and the last recorded Royal Naval action with cutlasses. — I just heard that actor Robert Duvall passed away at age 95. May he rest in peace. – JWR — Using a 13-inch (33-cm) telescope at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, Clyde W. Tombaugh, a 24-year-old American with no formal training in astronomy, discovered the dwarf planet Pluto this day in 1930. — We are nearly done …
“That’s not a knife. This is a knife!” (Paul Hogan as Mick Dundee, in Crocodile Dundee, 1986). When I took the Cold Steel Recon 1 XL out of its box for the first time and deployed the blade, the attempted mugging scene from Crocodile Dundee immediately came to mind. The Recon 1 XL is bigger than the average everyday carry (EDC) knife: a lot bigger. It has a 5.5-inch blade that is 0.15 inches thick and 1.63 inches wide. It is 12.25 inches long when the blade is deployed. And it weighs 8 ounces. The knife is 6.75 inches long, …
This weekly column features media 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. This week: Some more backcountry flying videos. “My Window Is Gone” an Adventure in the Oregon/Idaho Backcountry. (Trent Palmer.) These Kodiak 100 Backcountry Landings Are Insane – You Won’t Believe the Strips! Landing at Ryan Field (2MT1) in West Glacier, Montana. And a word of warning: Idaho Pilots: Roland Steadham was “safest pilot”, knew the area and powerlines well. Montana Knife Company nearing finish line on completion of new …
“All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise, not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, not from want of honor or virtue, so much as from the downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation.” – John Adams
On February 16, 1960, the newly-commissioned 447-foot US nuclear submarine USS Triton (SSRN/SSN-586) set off on a 60-day underwater round-world trip — the first submarine to do so. The sub’s skipper, Captain Edward L. “Ned” Beach Jr., was also famous as the author of Run Silent, Run Deep. — February 16,1968: The first US 911 phone system went into service in Haleyville, Alabama. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 123 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three-Day Course Certificate. This can be used for …
September 2026 Update: The business has been sold to a SurvivalBlog reader. Look for news of a re-launch, in October. — Most SurvivalBlog readers are familiar with Ready Made Resources – a reputable survival and self-reliance company serving the prepper community since 1996. They have been a SurvivalBlog advertiser for more than 20 years. With the recent cancer death of company Founder & CEO, Robert E. “Bob” Griswold, the company had lost its driving force. His widow is now looking for a buyer who can carry on the mission and the longstanding name of Ready Made Resources. Ready Made Resources …
