Preparedness Notes for Friday — April 28, 2023

April 28th is the birthday of gun designer Aimo Johannes Lahti. (Born in 1896.) This inventive Finn designed (or co-designed) an amazing array of weapons including the L-35 Lahti pistol, the Suomi M-31 SMG, the Lahti-Saloranta M/26 LMG, the famous Lahti L-39 20mm anti-tank rifle (pictured), and even the 20 ItK 40 — a 20 mm dual anti-aircraft cannon. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 106 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. …


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 commercial real estate market. (See the Tangibles Investing section.) Precious Metals: Fitch: Platinum And Palladium: High Risk Of Future Supply Disruption. o  o  o At Kitco.com: Gold prices treading water around $2,000 an ounce as U.S. GPD grows 1.1% in Q1. Economy & Finance: First Republic Bank continues to crumble: First Republic …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — April 27, 2023

On April 27, 1865, the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history occurred when the overloaded steamship SS Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River, killing some 1,800 people, many of whom were former Union POWs returning home from the Civil War. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 106 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. …


Pest Control for Keeping a Bug-Free Home – Part 2, by G.F.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Flies of all types spread disease, something that will be very problematic if medical care is difficult to come by. Most store-bought solutions are inadequate. Zappers offer only partial control and explode the fly, spreading any disease it may have. Sticky traps offer little help, except in confined spaces (like a closet). Sanitation and exclusion are everything. The best value pesticide for controlling flies is the classic fly swatter. Fly swatters are very cheap. Keep one around for each room. Hand them out to your kids. There is no better way to …


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 the risk of tsunamis, on American coastlines. Tsunami: Could It Happen Here? A quite informative background piece, posted over at the USGS site: Could It …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — April 26, 2023

On April 26, 1986, one of the world’s worst nuclear accidents occurred at the Chernobyl plant in the Soviet Union. An explosion and fire in the No. 4 reactor sent radioactivity into the atmosphere. At least 31 Soviets died immediately. I had the misfortune of being downwind of the accident, at the time. I was posted TDY in southern West Germany, with the 2nd Military Intelligence Battalion, in Stuttgart.  Someday, the details of the COMINT traffic for that time period may be declassified. But all that I can say now is that late April and early May of 1986 represented …


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. — 26 States, and counting: Another Red State Passes Constitutional Carry Bill. o  o  o AI-generated spam may soon be flooding your inbox—and it will be personalized to be especially persuasive. o  o  o Reader A.P. sent this in respoinse to my recent posts on crime rate maps: “An interesting factoid: In Canada …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 25, 2023

On April 25, 1901, New York became the first U.S. state to mandate license plates when Governor Benjamin Odell signed a law ordering automobiles and motorcycles to display “the separate initials of the owner’s name placed upon the back thereof in a conspicuous place.” — I noticed an interesting new listing in North Carolina at my #1 Son’s SurvivalRealty site: Sustainable Mountain Farm — Perfect SHTF Haven. Also at the site, an amazing property for someone with a larger budget: Geothermal Wyoming property. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing …


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 Washington’s pending ban on many semi-auto rifles. (See the Washington section.) Region-Wide April snow in the Inland Northwest. o  o  o ‘Hard to imagine why someone would leave Idaho for Washington’ — Gov. Little responds to Inslee’s request to veto abortion trafficking …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — April 24, 2023

On April 24, 1898, Spain declared war on the United States. — Today we present a feature review article by Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson. — We are still seeking entries for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 106 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and …


Recipe of the Week: Italian-Style Lentil Patties with Cheese

The following recipe for Italian-Style Lentil Patties with Cheese is from Reader Susan in Oregon. These are topped with either mozzarella or provolone cheese. Susan says:  “I got this recipe from a friend who is on a vegan diet that cooks these at last once a week.” Ingredients 3 cups dried lentils (brown, red, or green) 3 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 tablespoon dried minced onion 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 cups uncooked instant oatmeal 2 tablespoons canola oil 10 slices mozzarella cheese or provolone …