Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — May 10, 2023

May 10th is the birthday of the late Janis Pinups (born 1925, died 15 June 2007). He was one of the last of the Forest Brothers anti-communist resistance fighters. He came out of hiding, after five decades, to obtain a Latvian passport in 1994, after the collapse of Eastern European communism. (He was never issued any communist government identity papers and by necessity lived as a nonexistent “ghost” during the entire Soviet occupation of Latvia.) The history of the Forest Brothers movement certainly deserves more recognition. May 10th is the birthday of the late Col. Jeff Cooper. He was born …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This 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. — Coming from the geographical determinist school of history study, I found this 20-minute video fascinating: Facts In Geography Never Taught In Schools — Thomas Sowell. For some further reading on geographical determinism, I recommend the book  Zones of Conflict. o  o  o A special request from JWR: A close family member of …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — May 9, 2023

On May 9th, 1945, Herman Goering – commander in chief of the Luftwaffe, president of the Reichstag, head of the Gestapo, prime minister of Prussia, and Hitler’s designated successor – was taken prisoner by the U.S. Seventh Army in Bavaria. Goering, who was addicted to painkillers due to a wound, was instrumental in creating concentration camps for political enemies. It was Goering who ordered the purging of German Jews from the economy following Kristallnacht in 1938, initiating an “Aryanization” policy that confiscated Jewish property and businesses. Tried and convicted at the Nuremberg trials, he was sentenced to hanging, but before …


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. This week’s column is a bit of a side trip, to showcase some backcountry adventure videos. Idaho We Drive Idaho’s Most Beautiful Road. o  o  o 5 Day Backpacking Trip in Remote Idaho with a group of Young Men. o  o  o Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“We may be thankful that frightened civil authorities … have not managed to eradicate from the country the tradition of the possession and use of firearms, that profound and almost instinctive tradition of Americans.” “Luckily for us, our tradition of bearing arms has not gone from the country, the tradition is so deep and so dear to us that it is one of the most treasured parts of the Bill of Rights–the right of all Americans to bear arms, with the implication that they will know how to use them.” – John Steinbeck


Preparedness Notes for Monday — May 8, 2023

Today is the 78th anniversary of VE Day, otherwise known as Victory in Europe Day. May 8th is the birthday of missionary and U.S. military intelligence officer John Birch. (Born, 1918, died August 25, 1945.) He is considered by many to be the first American casualty of the Cold War. This is also the birthday of Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek. — Today’s feature article is a product review penned by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.


Recipe of the Week:  Sweet Cinnamon Rice

The following recipe for Sweet Cinnamon Rice is from SurvivalBlog reader D.B..  She notes: “This is a great way to use some of your stored rice. I use Basmati Rice, but other white rice varieties work quite well.  I have not tried this with brown rice.” Ingredients 2 cups rice 4 cups water Pinch of salt. Cinnamon (Just enough to suit your taste.) 1/2 cup Brown Sugar. (You may use more or less, to suit your taste) Directions On a hot stovetop, bring water with a pinch of salt to a boil in a pot for which you have a …


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. Most of these items are from JWR’s “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the twilight of dollar dominance. (See the Forex & Cryptos section.) Precious Metals: California readies for treasure hunt as floods wash up ‘Gold Rush 2.0’. o  o  o Gold stuck at $2,000, caught between high inflation and recession fears – Quant Insight. o  o  o At Gold-Eagle.com: Gold, Oil & Global Currencies …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” – C.S. Lewis


Preparedness Notes for Sunday — May 7, 2023

On May 7, 1867 Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel patented dynamite in England. This was the first of three patents he would receive for the explosive. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 106 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 for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: 14 Gun-Hating State Governments are About to Be Taught a Lesson On the Blank Page History, Text, and Tradition of Pre-1787 Gun Laws News Links: Supreme Court Requests Brief in Case Against Illinois Town’s ‘Assault Weapons’ Ban. Mark W. Smith: JUSTICE BARRETT INVESTIGATES FLAWED federal court ruling (wrongly) upholding AR-15 & magazine bans When a Supreme Court Justice Wants to Pick a Fight Over Assault Weapon Bans. JWR’s Comment: The restrictive gun and magazine laws in those 14 states will fail the Bruen Test, because there were hardly any restrictions on the …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum. And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. Then Jesus went with them. And when he …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — May 6, 2023

May 6th is the birthday of Tuvia Bielski. (Born 1906, died 1987.) You may remember him as the main character in the movie Defiance, portrayed by Daniel Craig. This movie was based on the book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 106 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 …


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 ‘n …