“When a man says he is building a house for himself and his posterity, he does not mean to be understood as saying that he has any thought of binding them, nor is it to be inferred that he is so foolish as to imagine that he has any right or power to bind them, to live in it.” – Lysander Spooner
On March 31, 1917, the Danish West Indies were officially ceded to the US for $25 million and renamed the Virgin Islands. Pictured is St. Thomas Island. — March 31 is the birthday of the late economist Dr. Walter E. Williams, PhD., who was born in 1936. He passed away in 2020. His book American Contempt for Liberty is highly recommended. — Today we present an article that was too short to qualify as an entry for the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $981,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 123 ends …
This weekly column features media 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. The high-resolution thumbnail below is click-expandable. Redoubt News Links: From the hard-left-biased PBS: A Rural Montana Town is Eyed for a 5,000-acre Data Center Campus. Thousands of Californians move to Idaho every year. Who are they? Historic Antlers Ranch In Meeteetse Sells After 131 Years With Same Family. Send Your Media Links Please send your links to media from the American Redoubt region to JWR. Any photos that are …
“I can’t imagine a man really enjoying a book and only reading it once.” – C.S Lewis
On March 30, 240 BC, Halley’s Comet made its first recorded perihelion passage. (Photo courtesy of NASA, from the 1987 comet passage, photographed from Easter Island.) — March 30, 1856: The Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, Great Britain, France, and the Kingdom of Sardinia signed the Treaty of Paris. This ended the Crimean War. — Today’s feature article is by our Field Gear Editor, Tom Christianson.
The following recipe for Granny’s Spring Greens Salad is from SurvivalBlog reader Granny M.. Ingredients 8 to 10 cups (around about 1 pound) of mixed greens (mixture of any available lettuces, sprouts, watercress, mesclun, mache, baby arugula, dandelion greens, and/or pea shoots) 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste) 2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 lemon, juiced Directions Wash and blot dry your greens with a clean dish towel, and place them in a large bowl. Add the chopped chives. Season with salt and pepper to suit your taste. Drizzle over …
Today’s graphic: A map showing the United States and Canada, with comparable latitude locales in Europe overlaid. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) 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.
“Between income taxes and employment taxes, capital gains taxes, estate taxes, corporate taxes, property taxes, Social Security taxes, we’re being taxed to death.” – The Late Chuck Norris
On March 29, 845, a 5,000-strong army of Danish Vikings invaded Frankish lands and only retreated after besieging Paris and securing a ransom from the Frankish King Charles the Bald. This was part of a series of devastating raids begun by the Vikings that began in the 790s. The Vikings were led by a man named “Reginherus” or Ragnar, sometimes linked to the legendary saga figure Ragnar Lodbrok. The Vikings easily overcame defences set in place by Charlemagne and are known to have attacked the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés just outside the city. The Vikings returned home with a ransom of …
JWR’s Introductory Note: This is an update to a reply to a letter that I posted in SurvivalBlog back in February 2007. Given the recent spike in gasoline and diesel prices, I thought it would be apropos to re-post it. — Every well-equipped retreat should have at least one “field expedient” 12 VDC fuel transfer pump. These pump rigs are popular with dirt bike, ATV, and snowmobile enthusiasts. They are very simple to construct. Here are the materials that you will need: 1 – An automobile or truck electric fuel pump. (The least expensive pumps come from automobile wrecking yards.) …
The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: Re-Watching Die Hard Last Night Reminded Me of What Life Was Like in California, in 1988: Bruce Willis Had Some Hair, Gas Was Affordable, and Two Political Parties Were Vying to Control the Capitol — 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.
“These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his …
On March 28, 1535, the Cistercian Bloemkamp Abbey (Oldeklooster) in Friesland was attacked and destroyed by a group of millenarian revolutionary Anabaptists. — March 28, 1774: Britain passed the Coercive Act against Massachusetts. — Today’s feature article is a guest piece written by our friend and fellow blogger, Patrice Lewis, the Editrix of the highly-recommended Rural Revolution blog. — We are now seeking entries for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $981,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 123 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us …
Editor’s Introductory Note: This guest article was written by our friend and fellow blogger, Patrice Lewis. Her entertaining and informative Rural Revolution blog has been published several times a week since 2009. We highly recommend bookmarking it. – JWR — The price of beef has been on everyone’s mind lately. According to the USDA, the average price of beef jumped from $8.40 per pound in March to $10.10 by December 2025. A number of recent articles reflect these concerns: Food inflation in America RFK Jr. Urges U.S. Ranchers to Ramp Up Beef Production The cost of this grocery staple is …
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 …
