The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — August 31, 2024

On August 31, 1889, the Second International Electrical Congress adoped the Joule as a unit of energy (after James Prescott Joule), the Watt as a unit of power (after James Watt) and the Quadrant as a unit of electrical inductance. (The Quadrant was later renamed the Henry.)  Pictured is Scottish engineer, chemist, and inventor James Watt. — On August 31, 1745 in the Jacobite Rising: Bonnie Prince Charlie reached Blair Castle, Scotland. — August 31, 1422, Henry VI became King of England at the age of 9 months. — August 31st, 1992 is the day that Randy Weaver surrendered to …


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:

“But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites: Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — August 30, 2024

On August 30, 1146, European leaders outlawed the crossbow, with the stated intent of ending war for all time. (Pictured is a 16th-Century German Crossbow.)  Here is a quote from an article titled: The Crossbow – A Medieval Doomsday Device: “For much of the Middle Ages, the crossbow was considered to be one of the most destabilizing weapons in existence, not unlike today’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.” In the 12th Century, the crossbow was considered by many to be a weapon of mass destruction. Not only was it was remarkably accurate and deadly at vast distances, but shockingly, the …


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 continuing bull market in precious metals. (See the Precious Metals section.) Precious Metals: FoxNews: Value of gold bar hits $1 million for first time ever.  (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.) o  o  o Gold Holds Above $2,500 as Powell Signals Rate Cuts Are Coming. o  o  o At …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — August 29, 2024

On August 29, 1831, Michael Faraday demonstrated the first electric transformer. — In 1862, the Second Battle of Bull Run in Virginia began. The same day marked the founding of the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing. — August 29, 2005: Hurricane Katrina made landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana, as a Category 4 hurricane.  The botched local and FEMA response in the storm’s aftermath turned millions of Americans into preppers. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists …


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 weather and climate news. It bears mention that several of today’s news links can be credited to the oft-mentioned Whatfinger.com news aggregation site. I recommend …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — August 28, 2024

On this day in 1884, the first known photograph of a tornado was taken by F.N. Robinson, near Howard, South Dakota. — August 28, 1833 is the anniversary of the abolishment of slavery throughout the British Empire. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 114 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 …


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 new video from John Lovell (of Warrior Poet Society fame): 11th Hour Checklist. JWR’s Comment:  John is a solid Christian who sounds more and more prepper-oriented, every time I hear him speak. o  o  o Counting the costs: We can now read the lawsuit against the Biden regime’s unfunded mandate on …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — August 27, 2024

On August 27, 1883, Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia erupted with a force of 200 megatons of TNT and killed approximately 40,000 people. — August 27, 1715:  The Earl of Mar raised the Jacobite standard at Braemar, Aberdeenshire starting the Jacobite uprising in Scotland. — August 27, 1917 was the birthday of American gun designer Robert Hillberg, best known as the designer of the C.O.P. four-barrel derringer, Winchester’s Liberator shotguns, the graceful Whitney Wolverine, and the Wildey .44 Magnum gas-operated pistol. He died in 2012. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction …


A Farm Field of Dreams: Looking For a Wife For a Consulting Client

I’ve had a consulting client for a couple of years, who I’ve learned to trust who lives on a family farm. The following could be an excellent opportunity to be able to retreat to a family farm in a safe area. In the SurvivalBlog archives, there are many articles on ways to protect your family, through preparedness and skill-building. Perhaps the ultimate is living on a self-sufficient working farm in a safe, lightly-populated region. Instead of having to build and stock a retreat, here is a way for a fortunate family to become friends with a farm family by helping …