Preparedness Notes for Thursday — February 9, 2023

February 9th is the birthday of Major George Charles Nonte Jr. (Born 1926, died June 30, 1978.) He was quite the pistolero. — We are now sold out of the 2005-2022 SurvivalBlog Archive USB sticks. Note that if you have purchased through the automated ordering system and stated that you would pay by check, we have your stick(s) reserved, waiting on your check or money order. For all others, the ordering window is closed. We hope to see your order next January for the 2005-2023 edition of the SurvivalBlog Archive. Thanks! — We are seeking entries for Round 105 of …


Some Stark Realities of the 2020s are Pushing Us Off-Grid

There are a number of societal changes that have accelerated our plans to fully go off the grid. The day may soon come when we decide to lock our gate at the county road, and hunker down. Our only regular contact would then be with our contiguous neighbors. For many years, I thought that the only circumstance that might necessitate such a move would be a societal collapse. But now, I have many other concerns. The most prominent motivators for taking on the mode of self-isolation include: Currency inflation The surveillance state Increasing regulation Forced vaccination schemes Supply chain disruption …


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 some threats posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Thieves Drive Through Mall In Stolen Car, Rob Electronics Store Shades of The Blues Brothers: Watch: Thieves Drive …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — February 8, 2023

On February 8th, 1963 the Kennedy administration issued an order prohibiting travel to Cuba and banned financial transactions and commerce with Cuba, by U.S. citizens.  Remnants of that order remain in place today, 60 years later.  Evidence of the U.S. commerce embargo can be seen in the large number of sturdy 1950s American cars that have been kept running, in Cuba. February 8th, 1828 was the birthday of Jules Verne, the French writer who wrote From the Earth to the Moon. He is considered the father of science fiction. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round …


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. — Where is the western bumblebee? The super-pollinator declined 57% in 2 decades, study said. o  o  o I just heard about a new, inexpensive piece of courseware called the Family Prep Plan that was published by an old friend of mine. He is a Christian and a former Marine Corps officer. Like …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — February 7, 2023

February 7th, 1867 was the birthday of Laura Ingalls Wilder (died February 10, 1957). SurvivalBlog highly recommends the Laura Ingalls Wilder books as well as her biography. — Just a couple of the 1,100+ folks who’ve bought 2005-2022 SurvivalBlog archive USB sticks wrote to mention that they thought that they weren’t working. Apparently, on some devices — such as older slow PCs or Mac iPads — it can take several minutes for the “SB” icon to appear, after you plug in the stick. This year’s archive stick has 18.3 GB of data, with more than 92,000 files for your device …


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 a large, suspicious balloon spotted drifting over the inland northwest. (See the Region-Wide and Montana sections.) Region-Wide Greater Idaho Bill Introduced in Idaho Legislature: House Joint Memorial 1. o  o  o Flight data: 3 military aircraft from Spokane went to Montana following …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“But let it not be said that we did nothing. Let not those who love the power of the welfare/warfare state label the dissenters of authoritarianism as unpatriotic or uncaring. Patriotism is more closely linked to dissent than it is to conformity and a blind desire for safety and security. Understanding the magnificent rewards of a free society makes us unbashful in its promotion, fully realizing that maximum wealth is created and the greatest chance for peace comes from a society respectful of individual liberty.” – Ron Paul


Preparedness Notes for Monday — February 6, 2023

Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6th, 1911. I miss Reagan. Those were simpler times, with much less partisan divisiveness.  This video of a performance by comedic juggler Michael Davis attended by both Reagan and Tip O’Neil demonstrates the tenor of those times. — We are still gathering resumes for the ranch caretaker position, in northwestern Montana.  Please let any of your friends or relatives know about this opening, if they meet the qualifications and be interested in relocating. — A special request from JWR: To finish building some antique rifles, I’m in need of a few complete Chilean …


Howell Arms Conversion Cylinder, by Thomas Christianson

I recently received a Howell Arms .45 Colt Conversion Cylinder for my Pietta M1858 cap and ball revolver. The conversion cylinder allows me to fire .45 Colt cartridges (also commonly but erroneously known as .45 Long Colt) through the revolver. After some fitting, it works extremely well, and is a lot of fun to shoot. The Backstory I have previously written a review in SurvivalBlog about the Pietta M1858 cap and ball revolver that I acquired from Elk Creek Company. Shooting a cap and ball revolver is a lot of fun, but loading one is somewhat time-consuming and cumbersome. A …


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 Federal Reserve’s balance sheet. (See the Economy & Finance section.) Precious Metals: You may have heard that silver tumbled 5.19% on Friday, to $22.57 USD per Troy ounce.  That was attributed to a briefly-strengthening Dollar.  But the Dollar’s prospects look dim for 2023, while the prospects for silver look bright. Buy …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The greater the bureaucratization of public life, the greater will be the attraction of violence. In a fully developed bureaucracy there is nobody left with whom one can argue, to whom one can present grievances, on whom the pressures of power can be exerted. Bureaucracy is the form of government in which everybody is deprived of political freedom, of the power to act; for the rule by Nobody is not no-rule, and where all are equally powerless, we have a tyranny without a tyrant.” – Hannah Arendt, On Violence


Preparedness Notes for Sunday — February 5, 2023

Today is the birthday of Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim (5 February 1840 – 24 November 1916). He was an American-British inventor best known as the creator of the first automatic machine gun, the Maxim gun. Maxim held patents on numerous mechanical devices such as hair-curling irons, a mousetrap, and steam pumps. Maxim claimed to invented the lightbulb. Coincidentally born the same day of the same year was John Boyd Dunlop, the Scottish inventor who invented pneumatic rubber tires. — An Update:  We are now down to just 120 of the SurvivalBlog 2005-2022 Archive waterproof USB sticks. We are not planning …