Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — July 11, 2023

July 11th is the birthday of John Quincy Adams. He was born in 1767 and died in 1848. Not to be confused with his father John Adams, the younger Adams also served as a diplomat, congressman, and as president. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 107 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: 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 $2000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This …


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 of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, a special look at reports on the economy, jobs, and housing markets, throughout the Redoubt region. Idaho Around Idaho: Economic Activity, June 2023. o  o  o Idaho Housing Market: Prices, Trends, Forecast 2023. o  o  o Idaho Labor Market Information.



Preparedness Notes for Monday — July 10, 2023

July 10th is the birthday of British novelist John Wyndham. (His full name was John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris, but Harris shortened that to just “John Wyndham” for his pen name.) He we was born in 1903 and died March 11, 1969. Harris was a good friend of fellow novelist Samuel Youd (1922-2012), who wrote under several pen names, including John Christopher. Both men were famous for writing what are often called “cozy catastrophes”. Several of Wyndham’s novels and short stories have been adapted to film, with varying degrees of success. One of the best of these was a …


Fiocchi .38 S&W Ammunition, by Thomas Christianson

Recently, I have been working with a couple of old Smith and Wesson top-break revolvers. One is an exposed hammer Double Action Second Model from about 1882. The other is a Safety Hammerless Fifth Model from about 1940. Both are chambered in .38 S&W. The original .38 S&W cartridge was designed for black powder. When it was first loaded with smokeless powder, the loads were light, intended to be used in firearms designed for black powder pressures. Later on, from 1922 to 1963, the British armed forces adopted a version of the .38 S&W cartridge as their standard revolver cartridge. …


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 strategic metals. (See the Commodities section. Pictured above is a Germanium Diode in a GFDL photo by Aomorikuma.) Precious Metals: Gold faces 10 months of headwinds from hawkish Fed while silver gets strong support from Europe – Heraeus. o  o  o Mark Lundeen, at Gold-Eagle.com: The Price of Gold in Foreign Currencies. …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Facts are to the mind what food is to the body. On the due digestion of the former depend the strength and wisdom of the one, just as vigor and health depend on the other. The wisest in council, the ablest in debate, and the most agreeable companion in the commerce of human life, is that man who has assimilated to his understanding the greatest number of facts.” – Edmund Burke


Preparedness Notes for Sunday — July 9, 2023

The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on July 9th, 1755, in the French and Indian War. — I was saddened to hear that Kevin Reeve, the founder and director of OnPoint Tactical Tracking School passed away on July 5th. Our condolences to his family and to his fellow trainers Kelly, Mike, and Steve. SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 107 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: Just Because I’m Exercising My First Amendment Doesn’t Mean That I Have to Leave My Second Amendment at Home News Links: Washington House votes to ban open carry at state Capitol, permitted rallies. Note 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!


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — July 8, 2023

On July 8, 2011, the orbiter Atlantis was launched on the last space shuttle mission. It is pitiful to think that NASA has essentially just been hitching rides for our manned space program, ever since then. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 107 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: 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 $2000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — July 7, 2023

On July 7, 2005, the London transit system was struck by coordinated suicide bomb attacks that killed 39 people and injured more than 700. July 7th, 1907 was the birthday of science fiction novelist Robert A. Heinlein. He passed away on May 8, 1988, at age 80. — I’ve been incredibly busy hauling and stacking hay this week, so I won’t be posting my usual Economics & Investing column today.  Sorry, but I’ve got to make hay while the sun shines! — We are still in need of entries for Round 107 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than …


The American Redoubt: America’s Empty Quarter

A major part of my consulting work revolves around relocation and retreat property selection, for my clients. When I have conversations with clients from the eastern United States, they often have difficulty grasping just how empty The American Redoubt is. Their view of “The West” is often skewed by the teeming masses of California that they see on television. I’d like to quantify, describe, and anecdotally illustrate the American Redoubt in this brief article.  As our friend Joerg Sprave would say: “Let me tell you about its features.” Vast and Lightly-Populated First, let’s discuss basic geography. The American Redoubt consists …