Preparedness Notes for Sunday — April 10, 2022

April 10, 1827 was the birthday of General Lew Wallace. He wrote books (author of Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ), sculpted, practiced law, painted, played the violin and made them as well. In the “Battle of Monocacy” he led a unit alongside 8,000 Union troops against 15,000 Confederates. He was second in command of the Lincoln conspiracy trial as well as principal in the trial of the Commander of Andersonville prison where prisoners had been starved to death. He was U.S. Ambassador to Turkey. And he served as the Territorial Governor of New Mexico. Willian Bonney (“Billy the Kid”) …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR (at the suggestion of SurbivalBlog reader Bruce F.): To share this, you can find it here: https://www.kapwing.com/videos/624eff83cc34310095ede0b9 Meme Text: Leadership? If Putin Had Led the Russian Army in 1812, They’d Be Speaking French in Moscow Now Link: Some background from Infogalactic: French Invasion of Russia.


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. If thou put the brethren in remembrance of …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — April 9, 2022

On April 9, 1869, the Hudson Bay Company ceded its territory to the Commonwealth of Canada. On April 9, 1768, John Hancock refused to allow two British customs agents to go below deck of his ship. This was considered by some to be the first act of physical resistance to British authority in the American colonies. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 100 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 …


Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make 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 this column, in …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab. (There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadeshbarnea.) And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the Lord had given him in commandment unto them; After he had slain Sihon the king of the …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — April 8, 2022

April 8th is the birthday of the late Ian Smith, Prime Minister of Rhodesia. (Born, 1919, died November 20, 2007.) April 8th is also the anniversary of the death of English experimental gunsmith and author Phillip Luty, in 2011. He was hounded by British authorities for many years. He died of cancer before a scheduled criminal trial. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 100 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 …


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 rapidly-inflating currencies. (See the Forex & Cryptos section.) Precious Metals: A fascinating video: Rafi Farber: Here’s What Happens to Silver When Russia Moves to a Gold Ruble. o  o  o Inverted yield curve, recession, and what it means for gold and silver. Economy & Finance: WSJ: New Vehicles Must …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — April 7, 2022

April 7th is the birthday of Colonel Bob Denard (born 1929, died October 13, 2007). He had an amazing life as a mercenary, including four attempted coups in the Comoros. — Today we present an article by SurvivlaBlog’s Senior Editor James Wesley, Rawles (JWR). — Round 100 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest is now underway. More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 100 ends on May 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 …


The Logic of Pre-1965 Silver Coin Pricing in Inflationary Times

We are living in an age of inflation. The recent wave of inflation in the United States will surely continue and may very likely become more severe than what we witnessed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Double-digit and even triple-digit consumer price inflation may be in our near future. Life in a country where 20% or more of the purchasing power of the principal currency unit erodes annually is not pleasant. When this happens, inflation inevitably breeds even more inflation. Producers, wholesalers, and retailers all get in the habit of regularly jacking up their prices, in anticipation of …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— 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. Today, we ponder Dr. Yuval Noah Harari’s predictions. Klaus Schwab’s Computer Science Advisor: Hacking Humans Avalanche Lily spotted this: Listen To Klaus Schwab’s Advisor – We Can Hack Humans. JWR’s Comments: Please note that …



Where to Call “Home”: Prepping Post-Pandemic – Part 2, by Alex Braszko

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Fitting In Good communication is key, if you want to fit in, wherever you decide to live in this world. But fitting in requires more than just learning a language. While I have seen only a few parts of the Middle East and Asia, I have discovered cultural barriers and hostility toward my chosen religion, as well as my citizenship, in some countries. These facts can make it difficult for a western-minded conservative Christian American to feel at home in some places, even when he embraces local customs, language, and traditions. And …


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. We may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. — First and foremost is the great news that Georgia will become America’s 25th Constitutional Carry state: Gov. Brian Kemp: Georgians’ ‘Carry Permit Is the 2nd Amendment’. Here is a quote: “Kemp tweeted, “For law-abiding Georgians, their carry permit is the 2nd Amendment.” JWR’s Comments:  I’m glad to hear that Governor Kemp agrees with me. In …