The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Oh my name is Francis Tolliver, I come from Liverpool Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school From Belgium and to Flanders, Germany to here I fought for King and country I love dear Twas Christmas in the trenches and the frost so bitter hung The frozen fields of France where still no Christmas songs were sung Our families back in England were toasting us that day There brave and glorious lads so far away I was lying with my mess mates on the cold and rocky ground When across the lines of battle came a …


Preparedness Notes for Thursday — December 23, 2021

December 23rd is the birthday of Founding Father and Supreme Court Justice John Jay. (Born 1745, died May 17, 1829.) Today is also the anniversary of the establishment of the exclusive private banking cartel known as The Federal Reserve, in 1913. I recommend the book The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve. — A word of warning: A look at the Ventusky weather models shows that a polar vortex is likely to hit much of the interior of CONUS in the first week of January. Temperatures may be 20 degrees F. or more below normal.  …


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 look at the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian Web Designer Learns Anti-Tank Tactics Tim J. found this at Yahoo News, of all places: In east Ukraine, a web designer …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — December 22, 2021

December 22nd is the anniversary of the death of SP4 James T. Davis, the first uniformed American combat casualty of the Vietnam War, in 1961. This ASA soldier (of the 3rd Radio Research Unit) was killed in a Viet Cong ambush on a road outside Saigon. — The folks at Palmetto State Armory (one of our affiliate advertisers) are wrapping up their AR-15 Days of Christmas sale. One of the featured items in their sale: SIG-Sauer Complete Fire Control Unit (FCU) for SIG P320 Pistols for just $349.99 each, with free shipping.  An FFL is required. At their site, paste this …


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. — F.J. wrote to mention a Kentucky family that survived the catastrophic December 10 storms and tornadoes by taking refuge in a prefabricated underground storm shelter. o  o  o For those looking for American-made products, reader H.L. recommended this site: Mammoth Nation. o  o  o Speaking of American-made, a couple that reads SurvivalBlog runs a small …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — December 21, 2021

On December 21, 1620, William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims landed on what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts. — Today, on the Winter Solstice, I reflected a bit on the trauma of the past two years. Our lives, livelihoods, and our liberties suffered some. I’m hopeful that 2022 will be a much better year.  Tomorrow, the days will start getting longer again. Already, we are making some spring gardening plans and looking forward to lambing and calving season. We will trust in the Lord, and his providence. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry …


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 RINO Congresswoman Liz Cheney. (See the Wyoming section.) Region-Wide I just picked up a copy of an advertising-supported tabloid that I hadn’t seen before, called Out There Outdoors. It is an outdoor recreation paper that is published in Spokane. It gets fairly …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — December 20, 2021

On December 20th, 1606, the Virginia Company loaded three ships with settlers and set sail to establish Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. — I heard that Ready Made Resources (one of our most loyal advertisers ) is running a special on Photonis Echo Spec AN/PVS-14 Unfimed white phosphor night vision monocular/weapon sights. Get one at the sale price. — Don’t forget that Palmetto State Armory (PSA) will be ending their AR-15 Days of Christmas Sale soon. This is their biggest sale of the year, with some amazing prices on complete AR uppers, other AR build …


Recipe of the Week: Mel’s Mexican Casserole

Mel kindly sent us the following recipe: Mel’s Mexican Casserole. (Or some of his friends call it, Mexican Lasagna.) Mel describes the recipe: “My wife says it is one her favorite meals, I make when I have time to cook. She will ask for it every couple of weeks. I modify it back and forth and to taste and heat, and I have tried it with ground chicken; it is very adaptable. I also try to use low sodium products for my ingredients — your choice.”   Ingredients 1 lb Ground Beef or other meat 1 pkg of Taco Seasoning …


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, we look at a potential crisis in Eurozone Credit Derivatives. (See the Derivatives section.) Precious Metals: ‘The Collapse Is Coming…Buy Physical Gold’ – Robert Kiyosaki o  o  o At MarketScreener: Gold price 2022: what analysts expect. Economy & Finance: At Zero Hedge: Fed Doubles Pace Of Taper, Now Expects Three Rate Hikes In …



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — December 19, 2021

December 19th is the birthday of physicist Albert A. Michelson (born 1852, died May 9, 1931), who was the first American to be awarded a Nobel Prize in science, for measuring the speed of light. I’m related to him, by marriage.  One of my great-aunts married his brother. – JWR — On Dec 19, 1776, Thomas Paine published “American Crisis”. Here is an excerpt: “These are the times that try men’s souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and …