Spy Balloon? What a Maroon

The mass media has been all abuzz about the transit of what was reportedly a “Chinese Spy Balloon”, over the continental United States (CONUS). There were plenty of conflicting reports. And the Biden Administration did a pathetic job of showing any resolve in defending our airspace. This media circus began on Wednesday evening (February 1, 2023) with some fuzzy pictures taken by residents of Billings, Montana. This news story was released the following morning: Chinese surveillance balloon left Montana, drifting across middle of U.S., Pentagon confirms. And then we learned: Flight data: 3 military aircraft from Spokane went to Montana …



The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — February 4, 2023

On February 4, 1945, the Yalta Conference opened with Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin meeting to plan the final defeat and occupation of Nazi Germany. Roosevelt was reportedly weak and ill at the conference. There, they conspired to carve up Europe by marking new boundaries on a National Geographic map. This set the stage for the Cold War, and the statist globalism of the early 21st Century. — We are in need of some entries for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $775,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The earth is the Lord‘s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — February 3, 2023

On February 3rd, 1959, a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa tragically took the lives of three rising stars in American music: Buddy Holly (Charles Hardin Holley – pictured), J.P. Richardson (aka “The Big Bopper”), and Ritchie Valens (Richard Steven Valenzuela). The day is remembered as “The Day the Music Died.”  Holly had chartered the plane, to avoid the discomfort of the chilly band tour bus. As the story of the Winter Dance Party Tour goes: “Following that night’s show at the Surf Ballroom, guitarist Tommy Allsup lost a coin toss with 17-year-old Ritchie Valens for one of the three …


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 renewed market demand for gold. (See the Precious Metals section.) Precious Metals: Gold demand surged to an 11-year high in 2022 on ‘colossal’ central bank buying. o  o  o The world’s largest silver producing countries in 2022 – report. o  o  o Kelsey Williams, at Gold-Eagle.com: Orderly Markets vs. Chaos. o  o  …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — February 2, 2023

On February 2, 1887, the first Groundhog Day was held, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. — Update: We are now down to less than 180 SurvivalBlog 2005-2022 archive USB sticks on hand. “Going, going…” There probably won’t be a second batch this year, so get your order in soon. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 105 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. …


Preparedness: Now What? – Part 2, by O.C.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Into The Pentagon After nine years or so as a defense contractor around the DC area, I was able to secure a job in the Pentagon as a civil servant in the Directorate of Special Access Programs. There I learned about Continuity of Operations/Continuity of Government (COOP/COG) for the first time. It’s fascinating. Although Nancy Pelosi originally claimed that she was not taken to a secure location, she indeed was, based on COOP/COG protocols. I won’t say exactly where, but I think it was [a hardened site] not far from D.C. I …


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, another look at egg smuggling. Border Patrol Now Catching Egg Smugglers First up, over at Alpha News:, this sign of the times: Border police dealing with new smuggling …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Christian Americans should see themselves as under a sort of occupation. Forces largely from outside your communities suppress that natural drive, confirmed by grace, for public religion. The ruling class is hostile to your Christian town, to your Christian people and to your Christian heritage. The occupation universalizes their ideology, forcing your Christianity to exist only in the walls of churches, denying any civil and social ordering to God and to Christ’s kingdom. The top-down and foreign imposition of secularism is evident in Supreme Court decisions, though these are only the tip of the iceberg and most visible to us.” …


Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — February 1, 2023

On February 1st, we recognize the birthday of the late Dr. Gary North, in 1942. North was a prolific writer on economics and Christian Reconstruction. He passed away just less than a year ago, on February 24, 2022.  His more than 50 published books are a lasting legacy. He also assembled a large free online library of books by other godly writers, through his Institute For Christian Economics (ICE). Those free books, totaling 38,000 pages, are all still available online. They are a great resource for homeschoolers and economics students. — We also remember February 1st, 2003, when the Space …


Writing Contest Prize Winners Announced — Round 104

We’ve completed the judging for Round 104 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prize-winning writers are: First Prize First Prize goes to A Grateful Mechanic, for Career Change to a Durable Trade. (Posted on January 24, 2023.) 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 $1,095 value), Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried …


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. — A video from blog reader A.K.: Build your own Portable Poultry Coop! o  o  o Reader C.B. sent this:  A Concerning Winter Storm Is Coming… o  o  o New Yorkers Moving to Florida in Record Numbers. “More people from New York moved to Florida in 2022 than any year in history, according …