Preparedness Notes for Sunday — July 28, 2024

On July 28, 1794, French Revolutionary figure Maximilien Robespierre and 22 other leaders of “the Terror” guillotined to thunderous cheers in Paris. — On July 28, 1932, U.S. Army troops, using tanks, cavalry, and tear gas demolished and burned the shanty town set up near the U.S. Capitol by unemployed Bonus Army protestors. — July 28th is also the anniversary of the outbreak of World War I, in 1914. This war irreparably changed geopolitics and set the stage for both World War II and the Cold War. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 113 of …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: The Kamala Venn Diagram People Who Like Venn Diagrams People Who Understand Venn Diagrams People Who Can Make Venn Diagrams News Links: Kamala Harris: “I Love Venn Diagrams”  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.  


The Editors’ Quote of the Day: 

“Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. Did not Moses give you …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — July 27, 2024

The first test flight of the F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter took place on July 27, 1972, at Edwards Air Force Base, California. McDonnell Douglas Chief Experimental Test Pilot Irving L. Burrows was at the controls. — July 27th is the birthday of Captain Samuel Whittemore (born in 1694, died February 3, 1793). He was an English-born American farmer and soldier. He was eighty years of age when he became the oldest known colonial combatant in the American War of Independence. — On July 27, 1377 there was the first example of a quarantine. In the city of Rugusa (now …


Editors’ Prepping Progress

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 …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — July 26, 2024

On July 26, 1803, the horse-drawn Surrey Iron Railway (SIR), arguably the world’s first public railway, opened in south London. — On July 26th, 1931, a swarm of grasshoppers descended on crops throughout the American heartland, devastating millions of acres. Already in a bad drought, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota suffered tremendously. The swarms were said to be so thick that they blocked out the sun and one could shovel the grasshoppers with a scoop. While America has not seen infestations on such a scale since then, North Africa and parts of the Middle East continue to experience them. — …


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. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the new Ethereum ETFs. (See the Forex & Cryptos section.) Precious Metals: Gold Price Predictions for the Next 5 Years (By Experts). o  o  o Daniel Lacalle, at Gold-Eagle.com: Central Banks Purchase Gold to Offset Their Own Money Destruction. Economy & Finance: Repos Spike in 2024 As Fewer Americans Can Pay Their …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — July 25, 2024

On July  25, 1850, Gold was discovered in Oregon, on the Rogue River. — On this day in 1797, Horatio Nelson lost more than 300 men and his right arm during the failed conquest attempt of Tenerife (Spain). — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 113 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 $2,000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can …


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 computer security and cyber warfare threats. Can Prepping Be Used Against You in Court? Reader Tim J. suggested this video from the Armed Attorneys: Can …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — July 24, 2024

On July 24th, 1704, English and Dutch troops occupied Gibraltar. — The late Jerry Ahern passed away on this day, July 24th, 2012. His survivalist novels created an entire genre. — On July 24th, 1567, Mary Queen of Scots was forced to abdicate. Her 1-year-old son became King James VI of Scots. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 113 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 …


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. — SurvivalBlog reader C.B. sent this: Microsoft-CrowdStrike outage: How a single software update was able to cause IT chaos across the globe. Here is an excerpt: “The global IT outage on 19 July serves as a stark reminder of our vulnerability to technological failures. Triggered by a single faulty software update provided by …