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 the new The Last Of Us television series. — Gaming Fans Like The Last Of Us Television Series The Last Of Us TV Series First …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“After 2020, everyone has noticed things we used to take for granted are gone. The world you grew up in, where grocery store shelves were always fully stocked, service workers actually provided service, potholes were repaired, roads were plowed in the winter, etc., now no longer exists. For nearly three years, every sign of decline was waved off as ‘supply chain problems’ or ‘worker shortages,’ all related to the Fauci bioweapon, but as time has gone on, it appears Humpty Dumpty is not being put back together again. Things are just going to be more run down, dirty, littered, and …


Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — February 15, 2023

Gun developer Richard “Dick” Casull was born on February 15, 1931. Casull passed away on May 6, 2018 after a long battle with cancer. Dick Casull is most famous for his design of the .454 Casull revolver, along with many other handgun and rifle designs. He held 17 firearm patents. And February 15, 1809 was the birthday of Cyrus Hall McCormick, inventor of a mechanical reaper. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  …


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. — The FBI Doubles Down on Christians and White Supremacy in 2023.  Now, they’re targeting “traditional Catholics.” Update: There was so much public outcry, the FBI withdrew the report. o  o  o SurvivalBlog’s Editor-at-Large, Michael Z. Williamson suggested this video, demonstrating several items for protection from thermal imaging: Which Materials can hide you …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — February 14, 2023

On February 14, 1946, the first general-purpose high-speed electronic digital computer, the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), was demonstrated to the public by its creators, J. Presper Eckert, Jr., and John W. Mauchly. — Today, we wish a happy birthday to our Editor-At-Large, Michael Z. Williamson.


Reader Poll: New SurvivalBlog Feature Topics

It has been several years since we’ve conducted an opinion poll of blog readers. Because SurvivalBlog has been published for nearly 18 years, we’ve covered a lot of topics. But, obviously, we’ve missed a few, or we need to revisit a few, to get up-to-date and to cover them in greater depth. So, here is my question to readers: What topics would you like to see covered in SurvivalBlog feature articles, in the coming months? Here are a few topics that came to mind, when Avalanche Lily and I were brainstorming: Herbs — Medicinal and Cooking Wildcrafting with plants and …


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 horse-drawn wagon builders, restoration specialists, museums, and some camping rentals. Idaho Idaho Sheep Camp builds traditional Basque sheep wagons. o  o  o Live Out Your 1883 Fantasies at This Incredible Idaho Covered Wagon Park o  o  o I missed seeing this obituary …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — February 13, 2023

Today is the birthday of General Chuck Yeager (born, 1923), the first man to break the sound barrier. He passed away December 7, 2020. February 13th is also the birthday of Robert Charles R.C. Sproul (born 1939, died December 14, 2017), a well-respected American Calvinist theologian. — A special request from JWR: A relative of mine will soon be attending a school that is south of Hamilton, Montana.  That relative will need to rent garage space to store a vehicle for about a year. Ideally, it would be a spot with an outlet available for a trickle charger, and that …


Recipe of the Week:

The following peanut butter granola recipe is from SurvivalBlog reader Jennifer R.  She writes: “This is one of many food storage recipes I’ve posted on the Prep School Daily blog, which focuses on food and medical preparedness.” Ingredients 1 ½ cups sugar 1 cup water 1 1/3 cups coconut oil 2/3 cup peanut butter ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 12 cups rolled oats 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional) Directions In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and water Stir occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in the peanut butter, coconut oil, salt, and vanilla. …


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 continuing stagflation threat. (See the Economy & Finance section.) Precious Metals: Michael Pento, at Gold-Eagle.com: Four Reasons Why The January Rally Will Falter. o  o  o Gold Forecast: Temporary Correction Followed by a Breakout Above $2000. o  o  o Gold Still in Stall, Looks Further to Fall. Economy & Finance: Stagflation …



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — February 12, 2023

February 12th is the birthday of theologian and journalist Cotton Mather (1663–1728). — Today’s feature article was written by our Field Gear Editor Emeritus, Pat Cascio. — We are still in need of entries for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Round 105 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.


Magazine Pouches Are a Must, by Pat Cascio

I won’t mention any names, to protect the innocent. However, I have a long-time friend – he used to be one of my martial arts students more than 30+ years ago. He was a great guy. We consider ourselves brothers – and couldn’t be any closer if we were actual blood brothers. Every now and then, we butt heads on something, but always remain brothers. I no longer teach any martial arts classes or firearms classes – my beat up ol’ body just doesn’t allow it these days. Every now and then, I’ll take a friend out for some shooting …