Preparedness Notes for Monday — September 2, 2024

On September 2, 1666, the Great Fire of London began at 2 A.M. on Pudding Lane. It is estimated that 80% of London was destroyed in the fire. Some 13,200 homes were destroyed, along with St. Paul’s Cathedral (which had stood for 500 years), and 84 out of London’s 109 parish churches. Thatched roofs had been formally banned since the Great Fire of Southwark in 1212, but that roofing method was still widely used in defiance of the ban up until the Great Fire of London. — September 2, 1969 was the day that the first American automatic teller machine …




Recipe of the Week:  Roasted Yellow Summer Squash

The following simple recipe for Roasted Yellow Summer Squash is from SurvivalBlog reader Carol in Delaware . Ingredients Yellow Summer Squash  — either straight or crookneck type. Olive Oil Ground Black Pepper Salt Grated Parmesan Cheese Herbs (optional) Chopped almonds (optional) Directions  Slice squash into rounds (or quarter-rounds if the squash is huge.) Coat them in olive oil, by tossing. Add salt, to taste. Add pepper, to taste. Place the squash in a single layer on a lipped baking sheet. Top with Parmesan cheese. Roast in a preheated oven for 12-to-14 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Move the …




SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic is a map that shows the 116 U.S. counties that are more populous than the entire state of Wyoming. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) The thumbnail below is click expandable.       — Please send your graphic ideas to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.







Preparedness Notes for Sunday — September 1, 2024

On September 1, 1752, Pennsylvania’s new State House bell (known today as the Liberty Bell) arrived in Philadelphia from Whitechapel Foundry in London, England. September 1, 1807: Aaron Burr was acquitted of the treason charge of plotting to set up an empire. His trial has been called The Trial of The Century. September is National Preparedness Month. And September is also Kilted to Kick Cancer Month. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  …




JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: In My PC’s Calendar, I Tried Deleting The 2020s, To Start Over… But It Didn’t Work! Notes 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! Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.




The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the …




Preparedness Notes for Saturday — August 31, 2024

On August 31, 1889, the Second International Electrical Congress adoped the Joule as a unit of energy (after James Prescott Joule), the Watt as a unit of power (after James Watt) and the Quadrant as a unit of electrical inductance. (The Quadrant was later renamed the Henry.)  Pictured is Scottish engineer, chemist, and inventor James Watt. — On August 31, 1745 in the Jacobite Rising: Bonnie Prince Charlie reached Blair Castle, Scotland. — August 31, 1422, Henry VI became King of England at the age of 9 months. — August 31st, 1992 is the day that Randy Weaver surrendered to …




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 …




The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites: Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart …




Preparedness Notes for Friday — August 30, 2024

On August 30, 1146, European leaders outlawed the crossbow, with the stated intent of ending war for all time. (Pictured is a 16th-Century German Crossbow.)  Here is a quote from an article titled: The Crossbow – A Medieval Doomsday Device: “For much of the Middle Ages, the crossbow was considered to be one of the most destabilizing weapons in existence, not unlike today’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.” In the 12th Century, the crossbow was considered by many to be a weapon of mass destruction. Not only was it was remarkably accurate and deadly at vast distances, but shockingly, the …




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 the continuing bull market in precious metals. (See the Precious Metals section.) Precious Metals: FoxNews: Value of gold bar hits $1 million for first time ever.  (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.) o  o  o Gold Holds Above $2,500 as Powell Signals Rate Cuts Are Coming. o  o  o At …







Preparedness Notes for Thursday — August 29, 2024

On August 29, 1831, Michael Faraday demonstrated the first electric transformer. — In 1862, the Second Battle of Bull Run in Virginia began. The same day marked the founding of the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing. — August 29, 2005: Hurricane Katrina made landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana, as a Category 4 hurricane.  The botched local and FEMA response in the storm’s aftermath turned millions of Americans into preppers. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists …