Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — March 29, 2023

Today would have been the 104th birthday of William “Bill” Summers Anderson. He passed away on June 29, 2021, at age 102. The following is from his biography at the Infogalactic wiki: “He was born March 29, 1919, in Hankow, China. On December 8, 1941, the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Hong Kong was also attacked by the Japanese. As a member of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps (HKVDC), Anderson fought the Japanese but after 17 days of heavy fighting, Hong Kong surrendered. On Christmas Day 1941, exactly four years after he had escaped from the Japanese …


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. — Our Editor-At-Large Michael Z. Williamson suggested this interesting article: How I Persuade Free-Roaming Ducks to Lay Eggs For Me. o  o  o Video of congressional testimony by a Special Forces veteran on the aftermath of Biden’s shameful handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal: Retired Lt. Col.’s Remarks Receive Thunderous Applause From House Foreign …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — March 28, 2023

On this day in 845, a 5,000-man strong fleet of Danish Vikings invaded Frankish lands. They only retreated after besieging Paris and securing a ransom from the Frankish King Charles the Bald. This was part of a series of devastating raids begun by the Vikings in the 790s. The Vikings were led by a man named “Reginherus” or Ragnar, sometimes linked to the legendary saga figure Ragnar Lodbrok. The Vikings easily overcame defenses set in place by Charlemagne and are known to have attacked the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés just outside the city. Although struck by an outbreak of plague, the …


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, news of Idaho’s new school restroom law. (See the Idaho section.) Region-Wide In a lengthy and rambling piece, a Vanity Fair reporter gets an earful from some libertarian Galt’s Gulching preppers: Inside the Dissident Fringe, Where the New Right Meets the Far Left, and Everyone’s …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — March 27, 2023

On March 127, 1975, construction began on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline; spanning 800 miles (1,300 km), the oil pipeline cost $8 billion. It was completed in 1977. Today is also the anniversary of Tennirife airliner collision disaster, in 1977. And March 27th is the birthday of the late Robert W. Ford (born 1923, died 20 September 2013). He was an amazing man who had a remarkable life. His book, Wind Between The Worlds (an account of experiences in Tibet, captivity by the communist Chinese, and his fight against brainwashing), is highly recommended. It is available for free download. — Today’s feature …


Recipe of the Week: Grain & Dried Fruit Salad 

The following recipe for Grain & Dried Fruit Salad is from SurvivalBlog reader D.J.: Ingredients 3 cups water 1/2 cup medium pearl barley 1/2 cup uncooked wild rice 2/3 cup uncooked basmati rice 1/2 cup slivered almonds 1/2 cup sunflower seed kernels 1/2 cup salted pumpkin seeds 1/2 cup each of three of your favorite dried fruits (such as raisins, golden raisins, chopped prunes, chopped dried apricots, or dried cranberries) 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley 4 teaspoons grated orange zest Directions In a large saucepan, bring the 3 cups of water to a boil. Add barley and wild rice. Reduce …


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, some post-mortem details on the Credit Suisse takeover. (See the Economy & Finance section.) Precious Metals: A word of caution to anyone looking for pre-1965 circulated U.S. silver coins: You should be shopping very carefully.  In today’s frantic marketplace, the premiums charged by dealers are varying much more widely than normal.  When I checked the …



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — March 26, 2023

On March 26, 1812, in opposition to the redrawing of districts to favor incumbents in an upcoming election, the Boston Gazette published a satiric cartoon that graphically transformed the districts into a fabulous animal, “The Gerry-mander”; the terms gerrymander and gerrymandering entered the American lexicon. — The Battle of Glorieta Pass began on March 26, 1862.  The outcome of this battle ensured that the west stayed with the Union, and denied the Confederacy the gold and silver from the western states. — On March 26th, 1812 And earthquake now estimated at 7.7 on the Richter scale destroys 90% of Caracas, …


A Special Notice: The Harvest Guard Company is Up For Sale!

I was just informed by the owner, Brad Stieg, that because he is nearing retirement, that the Harvest Guard Reusable Canning Lids business is being put up for sale. Note that this is an essentially recession-proof business, because when times get hard, people tend to buy more canning lids than they do in good times. The following lists the assets and associated items included in the sale of Harvest Guard Reusable Canning Lids. Mr. Stieg writes: “We would love to see a like-minded entrepreneur take the reins and continue forward, especially considering the economic storm that we see on the …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: The Bidenista School of Financial Crisis Management: Big Banks Get Bailouts, But Little Banks Get Bail-Ins News Links: Big banks experience deposit spike after Silicon Valley Bank collapse. Treasury Secretary Yellen says not all uninsured deposits will be protected in future bank failures. Will Americans end up footing the bill for bank failures? Why regulators seized Signature Bank in third-biggest bank failure in U.S. history. Big banks may get bigger as crisis swamps ‘too big to fail’ worries. Nolte: Janet Yellen Admits Government Choosing Bank Bailout Winners and Losers. Video: Treasury Secretary …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we …