Demographics, Dollars, and Our Destiny

The United States and many other Western nations are facing a demographic disaster. As I’ve mentioned before in SurvivalBlog, birth rates have fallen below the population replacement rate. In this essay, I will spell out some root causes of these demographic shifts that might surprise you, as well as some practical solutions. The primary cause of the current negative societal trends goes even deeper than a liberalized academic system, an activist mass media spouting progressive blather, entrenched D.C. “Swamp” politicians and bureaucrats, and uncontrolled illegal migration. The taproot of the pernicious weedpatch of our societal problems is monetary.  It all …


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 located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. Today, news that some avalanche watches are in effect.. Region-Wide Owyhee protection bill passes U.S. Senate. The article begins: “The Owyhee Canyonlands are one step closer to gaining federal protection. On a Friday voice vote, the U.S. Senate passed the Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — December 30, 2024

December 30, 1865 was the birthday of Rudyard Kipling. December 30, 1903: An electric arc lamp set fire to the Iroquois Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, leaving 602 dead in one of the deadliest single-building blazes in American history. December 30, 1933: A low temperature of -50°F (-46°C) was recorded in Bloomfield, Vermont. (A state record.) — Ready Made Resources is running a big End of Year Night Vision Sale is here! From now until midnight Central Time on December 31st, you can take advantage of some great deals. Stock is extremely limited, so don’t wait—secure your gear today! Plus, every …


Recipe of the Week: No-Alcohol Eggnog

The following recipe for No-Alcohol Eggnog is from SurvivalBlog reader T.W. in New Hampshire. Ingredients 6 egg yolks ½ cup sugar 1 cup heavy cream 2 cups milk 2 cinnamon sticks 2 cloves ½ teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 30 mls Lyre’s American Malt (optional) Whipped cream for topping (optional) Whipped cream and cinnamon for topping (optional) Directions Whisk the eggs and sugar together until the mixture lightens a little in color and goes creamy. An electric beater makes this easier but a traditional handheld whisk works fine. Place cream, milk, ground nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves in a saucepan …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic is a map showing The Loss of Local News: America’s Growing News Deserts. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit. This map was created by Taylor Maggiacomo, Local News Initiative, Northwestern University.) The thumbnail below is click-expandable.       — Please send your graphics or graphics links 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 — December 29, 2024

On December 29, 1812: Under the command of Captain William Bainbridge, the USS Constitution captured the HMS Java off the coast of Brazil, after a three-hour battle. — A December 29, 1911 proclamation restored the marking “Dei Gratia” (“By God’s Grace”) on Canada’s coins. — And on December 29, 1937 Pan Am began flying boat service between San Francisco and Auckland, New Zealand. — Today’s feature article is a guest post by Brandon Smith, a friend and frequent content contributor to SurvivalBlog.com. — We are in need of entries for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week: 

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: This Week I Made A New Year’s Resolution Clean Out My Refrigerator… But Then I Found The Box Of Salad Greens That I Misplaced Back In November of 2023 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:

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — December 28, 2024

On December 28, 1537 French king Francis I issued a decree to booksellers and printers requiring them to deposit a copy of each of their works in the King’s Library. This was the world’s first legal depository requirement. — December 28,1944: Dutch Resistance fighter Corrie ten Boom was accidentally released from the Ravensbrück concentration camp. She lived on another 39 years to speak and write of her experiences in The Hiding Place.  She died in 1983 at age 91, in Placentia, California. — Today we present a short guest article.  It is not part of the judging for Round 116 …


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:

“Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words. When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — December 27, 2024

December 27, 1943: Following a naval gun battle with British ships, the German battleship Scharnhorst sank. It was sunk by the Royal Navy’s battleship HMS Duke of York with support of cruisers and destroyers, including an onslaught from the destroyer HNoMS Stord of the exiled Royal Norwegian Navy, off the North Cape, Norway. — On this day in 1949, four years after nationalist revolutionary leader Sukarno had declared Indonesia’s independence, formal sovereignty over the country was transferred from the Dutch to the United States of Indonesia. — And on December 27, 1978 Spain became a democracy after 40 years of dictatorship …


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 crop price predictions for 2025. (See the Commodities section.) Precious Metals: NASDAQ: Silver Price Forecast: Top Trends That Will Affect Silver in 2025. o  o  o At Gold-Eagle.com: Gold SWOT: BMO: Conditions Appear Favorable for a Broader Gold Equity Rally in 2025. o  o  o How Macro Changes Will Impact Gold in …