Preparedness Notes for Thursday — April 21, 2022

On April 21, 1836, with their victory in the Battle of San Jacinto, Texas won independence from Mexico. — 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 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), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical …


MURS Dakota Alert IR Sensors and Antennas – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

The case for using directional antennas to contain signals within an area of operations (AO), has hopefully been adequately made in my previous SurvivalBlog articles. Today, I will describe how directional and omnidirectional antennas can be used with MURS Dakota Alert Sensors. With the advent of HF equipment that can now be operated on very low power, there has been a growth in interest among some Amateur radio operators in QRP (low power).  It is a style of HF (High Frequency, a.k.a. shortwave) radio that challenges operators to communicate very long distances using only very low powered transmitters.  This style …


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 examine the expanding threats of hacking and cyber-warfare. Risk of Hackers Targeting Industrial Control Systems Over at Tech_HQ: US Fed warns of state hackers targeting industrial control systems. Here is a pericope: …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — April 20, 2022

Several SurvialBlog readers relayed some bad news: Fire destroys Azure Standard Headquarters Facility, in Dufur, Oregon. Thankfully, there was no loss of life, but the facility was consumed by the fire. (Photo Credit: Alana Lackner, Columbia Gorge News.) — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Note: We are running low on articles to post for Round 100 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. If you are writing an article, then please complete it and e-mail it to us. Thanks! – JWR Today we present another entry for Round 100 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: …


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. Cody Wilson Thwarts Another Attempt To Stop Ghost Guns. o  o  o Reader Doug C. suggested this: Tucker Carlson on Elon Musk’s bid to buy out Twitter. o  o  o Tim J. recommended this video from “southernprepper1”: Night Vision PVS14…Most important combat multiplier for the prepper.


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Let me be clear, inflation is a tax, and today’s historic inflation data tells another chilling story about how these taxes on Americans are completely out of control. Hard-earned wages and financial savings are disappearing faster every month as prices continue to climb, while the pain and frustration of spending more on everyday items linger over us all, especially among those who can afford it the least. Americans are seeing some of the largest increases in goods such as gas up 48%, beef up 16%, chicken and milk up 13%, and staples like coffee and eggs are up 11%. When …


Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 19, 2022

April 19th is the original Patriot Day which marks the multiple anniversaries of the battles of Lexington and Concord, known as “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World”. This first battle, leading to our nation’s independence, was the then-dictator’s (United Kingdom King George III’s) failed attempt at “gun control”– an act being carried out in too many parts of our nation right now. This first gun control of the colonies was a failure, because of the will and determination of a small part of the population (about 3% actually fought for our independence actively, with many others supporting) to stand up …


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 comes news of a coyote hunting controversy in Wyoming. (See the Wyoming section.) Idaho Highly contagious bird flu found in two Idaho chicken flocks. o  o  o Grizzly bear suspected to have killed livestock in North Idaho. o  o  o Alleged ‘cult mom’ Lori Vallow …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — April 18, 2022

Reader Chris C. sent me this doctored photo of the Russian cruiser Moscow (Moskva), which recently sank after being struck by two Ukrainian Neptune missiles. Chris’s comment and query: “I saw this picture of the Moskva and it kind of sums it up quite nicely. How do you say ‘You sank my battleship!’ in Russian?” To answer his question is: Ты потопил мой линкор!  Or, transliterated: Ty potopil moy linkor! — On April 18th, 1906, the San Francisco Earthquake struck northern California, killing hundreds of people as it toppled numerous buildings and started fires that engulfed whole neighborhoods. The quake …


Recipe of the Week: Hot Pepper Sauce Recipes

The following pair of hot pepper sauce recipes are from SurvivalBlog reader Mrs. Alaska: Anyone who has ever eaten MREs appreciates the value of those little containers of Tabasco sauce.  Why not make your own, with shelf stable ingredients? Packages of dry peppers weigh next to nothing and last a long time. The following are two recipes, one for a Tabasco like sauce and another for a Sriracha-like sauce with the peppers I used, but you can personalize your heat preference with different peppers.  Some examples are: Puya and Arbol are hot.  Guajillo and Anaheim are mild.  New Mexican peppers …


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, more about rising inflation, globally. (See the Inflation Watch section.) Precious Metals: Matterhorn’s Ronni Stoeferle: Why Gold Will Benefit from the Inevitable Reshaping of the International Monetary System. o  o  o Virginia Ends All Taxes on Purchases of Gold and Silver. Economy & Finance: At The Sounding Line: Most Accommodative Fed Ever. …



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — April 17, 2022

Have a restful and meaningful Ressurection Day! — On April 17, 1961, about 1,500 CIA-trained Cuban exiles launched the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in a failed attempt to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro. Above all, the invasion was an OPSEC failure. Due to the Cuba/Soviet intelligence network as well as loose talk by members of the brigade, which was repeated in US and foreign newspaper reports, the Cuban government knew, in advance, of the planned invasion. The Washington Post also reported that the Soviets knew the exact date of the attack, that the CIA was aware …