Preparedness Notes for Sunday — December 4, 2022

December 4th is the birthday of Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, (born 1912) an AVG “Flying Tiger” volunteer pilot for the Chinese Nationalist government, WWII Marine Corps aviator, and Medal of Honor recipient. (He died January 11, 1988.) A proto-Redoubter, Pappy Boyington was born in Couer d’Alene, Idaho and was raised in Spokane, Washington.  Couer d’Alene, Idaho’s airport is named in his honor. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 104 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% …


Thinking Outside the Aquarium: A Different View of Government Force

Much like a fish in a small aquarium, the citizens of modern-day nations have a distorted view of the world around them, and their relative freedom. They’ve never known a space any larger than the walls of their fish tank. From their perspective, the aquarium constitutes the limits of their world, and it is the only life that they can imagine. I’m penning this essay in SurvivalBlog to encourage my readers to take a step back and think about the very nature of government — all governments, at all levels. Of the 195 nations on Earth, all but a few …



The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — December 3, 2022

On December 3,1775, the first official US flag (the Grand Union Flag) was raised aboard the naval vessel USS Alfred. On December 3, 1944, the Greek Civil War broke out in a newly-liberated Greece, between communists and royalists. — We are pleased to welcome a new banner advertiser: SurvivalFrog. They sell a broad line of survival gear and storage food, at great prices. Presently, they are running some pre-Christmas specials. Take a look! — Today’s guest article first appeared in the Alt-Market.us blog. It is reposted with permission.



Preparedness Notes for Friday — December 2, 2022

On December 2nd, 1823, what became known as the Monroe Doctrine was declared by President James Monroe to Congress outlining a foreign policy initiative that forbade European interference in the American hemisphere but also asserted U.S. neutrality in regard to future European conflicts. — Today we present a guest article by Arkadiusz Sieroń, selected by JWR. It was first published by Sunshine Profits, and is reposted with permission. — We are now seeking entries for Round 104 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 104 …


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. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the nascent drop in the U.S. real estate market. (See the Tangibles Investing section.) Precious Metals: Newmont: The Bottom Is In For Gold. o  o  o Ghana plans to buy oil with gold instead of U.S. dollars. o  o  o Report: China Suspected of Stockpiling Gold to ‘Cut Greenback …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“All nature has come to expect from God a sense of orderliness. Whatever God does carries with it His fingerprint. And in the world around us His fingerprint of orderliness is evident to anybody who is honest with the facts. If you look at nature, you will discover a mathematical exactness. Without this precision, the entire world would be in utter confusion. One plus one always equals two no matter what part of the universe you happen to be in. And the laws of nature operate in beautiful harmony, a harmony that is ordered by God Himself.” – Aiden Wilson …


Preparedness Notes for Thursday — December 1, 2022

This is the birthday of novelist Rex Stout (1886–1975). Rex Stout was the brother of Ruth Stout, the gardener who wrote about no till, year-round mulching, organic gardening in her book Gardening Without Work: For the Aging, the Busy, and the Indolent. — Today we present the first entry for Round 104 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Round 104 ends on January 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. — But first, here is …


Writing Contest Winners Announced — Round 103

We’ve completed the judging for Round 103 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prize winners are: First Prize: First prize is awarded to St. Funogas, for: My Ten-Day Test-My-Preps Adventure Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. which was posted on October 13-17 2022. He will receive the following prizes: 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 2022 Retrospective: America’s Negatrends

In place of our regular Odds ‘n Sods column for this week, we are presenting a late-2022 summary listing of negative societal trends — what I call negatrends — and political machinations, with some apropos links. Please pray daily that our nation collectively repents and returns to a moral and righteous path and that our government is again restrained and respects our rights. – JWR Some Key Negatrends Ongoing urbanization, and its attendant societal ills. Increasing technological dependence of society as a whole and addiction to technology by individuals. Vote-Stealing. Closely tied to this are the Democrat mantras denying positive …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — November 30, 2022

Satirical novelist Jonathan Swift was born on November 30th, 1667. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present the final entry for Round 103 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 value), Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: 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. — We’ll start off today’s column with this from SurvivalBlog reader B.G.: 17-Year-Old Hero Swoops Into Action After Officer Is Shot Right in Front of Her – Unmatched Bravery. o  o  o C.B. was the first of several readers to send this:  Vaccinated Americans a majority of COVID deaths for first time in August: …