Preparedness Notes for Thursday — May 4, 2023

May 4th is informally known as “Star Wars Day”, because of a silly play on words: “May The Fourth Be With You.” May 4th 1943: A patent for helicopter controls was obtained by Igor Sikorsky. Sikorsky invented fixed-winged and multi-engined aircraft, transoceanic flying boats and helicopters. On May 4, 1415, reformers John Wycliffe and Jan Hus were condemned as heretics at the Council of Constance. The death of Hus inspired the later Hussite revolution in Bohemia. — I just read that Ready Made Resources — an advertiser that has been with us since SurvivalBlog’s launch —  is running a special …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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, we look at Switzerland’s extensive bunker infrastructure. Why Switzerland Has 374,142 Bunkers A fascinating half-hour YouTube video: Why Switzerland Has 374,142 Bunkers (and likely more). Full Disclosure: NordVPN …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“At times like the present, when the evils of unsound finance threaten us, the speculator may anticipate a harvest gathered from the misfortune of others, the capitalist may protect himself by hoarding or may even find profit from the fluctuations of values, but the wage earner – the first to be injured by a depreciated currency – is practically defenseless.” – President Grover Cleveland


Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — May 3, 2023

May 3rd, 1952 was the birthday of Pastor Chuck Baldwin. He has done yeoman service in promoting the American Redoubt movement. — I just heard that Canada’s troubadour Gordon Lightfoot has passed away at the age of 84. — 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 …


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. — Video with some good advice from Austin-based building contractor Matt Risinger: Three Generator Pro Tips (from a mini-Prepper). o  o  o Reader Ron M. suggested a brief, informative video describing NIJ body armor levels. o  o  o T.M. forwarded this news link: General Mills Announces Recalls For Bleached, Unbleached Gold Medal Flour. …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“By far the most numerous and most flagrant violations of personal liberty and individual rights are performed by governments … The major crimes throughout history, the ones executed on the largest scale, have been committed not by individuals or bands of individuals but by governments, as a deliberate policy of those governments — that is, by the official representatives of governments, acting in their official capacity.” – John Hospers (the first Libertarian Party candidate for U.S. President.)


Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — May 2, 2023

On May 2nd, 2000, U.S. President Bill Clinton announced that high-accuarcy GPS would be made available to the public; the satellite signals had previously been degraded for nonmilitary use. — And on On May 2nd, 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France at a cost of four cents per acre for 828,000 square miles (2,144,520 square km), which soon proved to be a tremendous bargain. — Seed for Security, LLC — one of our long-time sponsors — has announced a special sale. Their Colossal Security Pack is now 15% off. This pack is a total of over …


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, we focus on growing wolf pack numbers. (See the Region-Wide and Washington sections.) Region-Wide Oregon, Idaho law enforcement and community honor fallen Nyssa officer. o  o  o Melting snow to fill up rivers around the Inland Northwest. o  o  o Wolf numbers increasing in Yellowstone, …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — May 1, 2023

May 1st is the birthday of the late Joel Rosenberg, a Canadian-born novelist and gun rights advocate (born 1954, died June 2, 2011). He is not to be confused with Joel C. Rosenberg (born 1967), who is another great novelist and the author of The Last Jihad series. — Today’s feature article is a review written by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson. — We are seeking entries for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested …


Recipe of the Week:  Muffin Pan Chicken Pot Pies

The following recipe for Muffin Pan Chicken Pot Pies is from SurvivalBlog reader G.S..  This makes miniature pot pies for individual servings, rather than one big pie. One advantage is that this method takes less cooking time than baking a big pot pie. Notes:  You can use any leftover cooked vegetables in this recipe. You can also substitute other types of cheese. Ingredients 1 cup cooked chicken chopped 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional) 1 cup mixed vegetables frozen 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 can of biscuit dough (or an equivalent quantity of mixed Bisquick or similar biscuit …


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 some tax issues. (See the Taxes section.) Precious Metals: You may have noticed that silver is gaining, versus gold. As of Saturday morning, spot silver was at $25.34 per Troy ounce, while gold was at $2,003.30 per Troy ounce.  That is a 78.82-to-1 ratio.  I’m still looking at a ratio under 70-to-1 …



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — April 30, 2023

Today is the birthday of sci-fi novelist Larry Niven (born April 30, 1938). Along with Jerry Pournelle, he co-authored the survivalist classic Lucifer’s Hammer. April 30th is also the birthday of software engineer Ed Yourdon, who was born in 1944. He passed away in 2016. — Today’s feature article was too short to qualify as an entry for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.